Dangerous Woman: The Life and Times of a Serial Killer
by Sonamyluver718
Summary: "When you've been told you're something for so long, you just start to believe it rather than willingly accept it. I never wanted to be a killer. I never asked for anything this life has thrown at me. My life has been forced on me since I was a teenager. I have never gotten the chance to make a real decision for myself. But I chose to be with him...and that was my worst mistake."
1. Dangerous Woman

**_Hi. So, this may or may not be the first of a segment of short stories based off of the main female character presented. Enjoy!_**

 _Dangerous Woman_

 _July 10_ _th_ _2016_

"Good morning Dr. Eisenhower," the small prisoner said as she offered him a toothy smile. The doctor, Dr. Eisenhower, was surprised by her voice as he had been talking to a guard when he entered the interrogation room. "Be careful of her tricks," the guard had warned him. "She may look cute and cuddly on the outside but on the inside she's a stone cold killer." The doctor hadn't thought much about the guard's advice. When he had looked over the young woman's file earlier, he'd made all the conclusions he needed about her. He thought he believed that she was in fact a heartless killer who carried no feelings or remorse. He believed she was just as much of a psychopath as her partner was. In the mug shots given to him with the files, she was always sporting a toothy smile with her wide eyes filled with amusement. He had thought she looked crazy. Yet, as he looked at her then in reality, he couldn't help but to not see what the information had made her out to be. She was petite in size with noticeable curves and long legs. Her skin was pale from the lack of good nutrition, some of her blue veins visible on her arms and face. She had a mane of curly pink hair and bright green eyes that sparkled even under the poorly lit room. Dr. Eisenhower admitted that she was pretty with her wide eyes, curled eyelashes, plump pink lips, and naturally arched eyebrows. He thought she had a look of potential, though he knew better otherwise.

"Ms. Rose," Dr. Eisenhower replied as the shock from her beauty began to wear off on him. He took a seat across from her at the table in the center of the room. He offered her a smile back. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Pleasure's all mine, sir." Her voice contained a strong southern city accent, warm and thick. Yet, there was also a softness in her voice that lay under her accent. She sounded almost motherly. "I've heard you're the new big doctor around this hell hole," she continued to speak. "I was expecting some old man with thick rimmed glasses and a belly the size of Texas." Dr. Eisenhower let out a soft laugh as he adjusted his glasses on his nose. "You're pretty young…and handsome." The doctor coughed as blush threatened to creep up his cheeks. He had dealt with many convicts before in his few years as the psychiatrist in the nationally known prison, but never did one make him feel the way he did then. She was intimidating in a strange way. She wasn't mean or rough or empty-eyed. She didn't fit the bill that other psychopaths he'd come across had set for him. She actually seemed normal.

"Rosalinda Anne Rose is your full name, correct?" She perked up, her eyebrows raising in surprise.

"How do you know my birth name?"

"Missing persons was able to help us with discovering your identity…your true identity that is."

"So you have information about my sister?" Her eyebrows crinkled together in worry as she fidgeted in her chair. The doctor noticed that her hands were bound together in front of her on the table. The chains around her wrist didn't bother him but the faded scars on her skin did.

"They have located her," he admitted. "They've told me that she's doing well." The smile returned on her face as she let out a sigh of relief.

"Good…good. I haven't seen her in years." She fidgeted again as her green eyes looked down. "I suppose she doesn't wish to see me."

"I'm not up to date with their communication with her, unfortunately." She nodded, her eyes returning up to meet the doctor's. "We should get back on track." The doctor reached down into his bag to pull out a notebook, a recorder, and her hefty file folder. He clicked on the recorder before beginning to speak. "Ms. Rose, you are aware that this is a psychological examination that could either earn you a lighter sentence or the sentence that the prosecutors are shooting for."

"What sentence is that?"

"The death penalty." The woman held his gaze as the silence ensued after his reply. She didn't seem afraid or worried about what he'd just said. In fact, she didn't seem to have a reaction at all. She just continued to stare at him with her wide emerald eyes. "Are you aware of the circumstances of the examination?"

"Yes."

"Good." He opened her huge folder. "Where shall we start, Ms. Rose? Do you wanna talk about your childhood, the abduction? Or do you wish to jump right into your relationship with Mr. Delgado?"

"Wait, what exactly are you asking me to do? I'm not…I can't tell on him. You don't know what he'll do if I tell…" The woman, Rosalinda, curled up into herself as she said this. Her thick accent became frail and filled with fear. The doctor couldn't help but to want to comfort her. He was aware that some of the things listed in the file were not things that she'd done willingly. He made sure he was fully aware of the abuse she had faced during the past eight years. He wanted to make himself fully able to examine her with everything taken into consideration. While he wasn't endorsing that maybe she was just a victim, he wasn't completely convinced that she was as cold-hearted as the crimes made her out to be.

"Everything you say will not be new to me, Ms. Rose. You don't have to think that you're telling on him. You're simply retelling what's happened from your point of view. You don't have to be afraid of talking openly. He's not going to hurt you anymore." Rosalinda's green eyes held the doctor's for a moment before she slowly nodded.

"My childhood doesn't matter much in this situation. My sister and I were raised in a good Christian home in South Carolina. Our parents loved us very much. They rarely yelled at us and only beat us when we deserved it. They were good people. My sister and I weren't abducted until I was about thirteen and she was ten. We were…we were waiting for our parents one night after an evening mass at church. Amy wanted to go outside since some of her friends were out there and I followed her to make sure she would be alright. We didn't even wander five feet away from the church before the men scooped us up and stuffed us into a car. It happened so quickly that Amy and I didn't know how to handle it for the few years following. I like to think I had it a lot worse than she did considering I was older and they could put me to more use for their…customers. But my sister had it bad too. I wasn't around as much as she needed me to be because they'd take me away and make me do what they wanted. At night she'd cry in my arms, praying to God that things would get better…that this was all one bad dream. She stopped praying after a year, and eventually she stopped crying too." Rosalinda shrugged. "She lost hope."

"How did you take the adjustment?"

"I didn't have the room too, Dr. Eisenhower. When you have a ten year old crying in your arms and yelling about wanting to go home and not being able to provide that her…not being able to protect her like a big sister is supposed to… Doctor, there is no room for reaction. I had no choice but to be strong for my sister. I was all she had and I had to set an example."

"How long were you with the Marrioti business for?"

"Six years," she answered quickly. The doctor scribbled in his notebook.

"Can you describe your experience with the Marrioti business?"

"It wasn't terrible," she admitted as her fingers tapped each other timidly. "Boss let us live in an apartment complex he owned with all our own apartments. He kept our food supply stocked, and he gave us half of the share of money we made off customers. Most of the girls used the money to pamper themselves. They'd get their hair done, nails done – the full spa treatment. Amy and I put ours in checking accounts in case we ever got out."

"And your captor allowed you to do that?"

"Boss let us do a lot of things. We weren't prisoners, Dr. Eisenhower. We were just his workers…his whores if that's what you wish to call us. We were free to roam around the city as we wished and do what we wanted as long as we always showed up for our shifts at the club. He wasn't a controlling man. Even his son, Sonic, didn't keep a short leash on us. He was the one who was in charge of us for the most part, and he didn't care what we did a good half the time. They knew we'd have nowhere to go. It's not like we could turn them in without going down ourselves."

"Mr. Marrioti's son, Sonic…you mentioned him to one of the other psychiatrists."

"Yes," Rosalinda replied cautiously.

"You mentioned that he was one of the first to sexually assault you," the doctor read off of her highlighted file. He glanced up at her to see that she had fidgeted.

"Yes," she murmured, her green eyes once again shooting down to her cuffed hands before her.

"How did you feel the first time a man touched you against your will?"

"Disgusting," Rosalinda said as her mouth curled up into a grimace. "I tried to fight back against him, but he was stronger, and I was supposed to comply. He kept whispering in my ear to be good or else he was going to make it worse." Her hands curled into small fists. "He gave me no mercy the first time. His father must have done something to tick him off – they fought often and sometimes Sonic would take his anger out on us. For a sixteen year old boy, he was filled with so much rage. It only got worse as we all got older." She sighed. "I used to be thankful that he was usually sort of nice to my sister and I. He never hit us or assaulted us more than once. I don't think he ever did anything to Amy that she didn't want."

"They were beginning to have a relationship when Mr. Delgado took you away, correct?"

"They were having sex," she spat. "I wouldn't exactly call that a relationship." Rosalinda looked up, her bright green eyes entrancing the doctor. Something flickered in her emerald orbs as she spoke. "Look, I know I'm getting off topic and you say that you're not up to date with the government's communication with her. But, if you know something – anything about how's she's doing then I'd really appreciate it if you would tell me." The doctor sighed deeply.

"She's doing well," he admitted. "She's married now…to the Sonic you mentioned. From what I've been told, they both left the sex business behind and made something new of themselves. Sonic is now CEO of a major marketing firm, and your sister is a nurse. They also have a little baby girl. She's very happy." Rosalinda smiled widely, her shoulders relaxing. The doctor wasn't lying about her sister. Amy had gotten married to the Sonic who'd once been an abuser to the girls his father captured. The boy had happened to be unnaturally smart and got away from his father as soon as he'd gotten his master's degree. Amy had gone with him, and they'd started a new life. Dr. Eisenhower had gotten the chance to talk to her privately about her sister. She was very nice and spoke very highly of her sister despite all the horrible deeds she'd done. Her sister promised to even testify in her favor when her case went to trial. Amy was sure that Rosalinda couldn't have done the things she did by her own will…or in her right mind.

"Thank you," Rosalinda said, her smile softening as she contained her relief. The doctor returned the smile before coughing to hide it.

"After Sonic assaulted you, did you feel the same way when other unfamiliar men did?"

"Yes, but after a while I kind of got used to the feeling. I think I just started to ignore the disgust in my stomach whenever they'd do what they wanted. I'd just imagine going home and taking a long shower to make myself feel better. I'd stay in there for over an hour sometimes, just standing under the water and wondering if I could accept what I'd been made into."

"Did you ever accept that girl…the one who was one of Mr. Marrioti's most valuable girls?"

"Yes," she murmured. "When you've been told you're something for so long, you just start to believe it rather than willingly accept it. I never wanted to be a whore. I never wanted to be a killer. I never asked for anything this life has thrown at me. My life, as you can see, has been forced on me from the time I was taken up in that van. I have never gotten the chance to make a real decision for myself."

"You never chose to run away with Mr. Delgado?" The doctor raised his eyebrow. In her file, her sudden absence at the Marrioti club was described as more of a disappearance – a runaway girl. At the beginning of the night, she was at the club working, but by the end of the night she was gone without a trace. Mr. Marrioti had tried to track her checking account but it'd been drained completely the morning before she disappeared. That little piece of information made it seem as if her leaving was intentional and premeditated.

"Not exactly," she admitted. The doctor scribbled in his notebook again, his eyebrows pulling together in thought.

"Alright. Start from the beginning. How did the two of you meet?"

"Well, I was working one night and I was hiding in one of the rooms behind the bar doing some math problems out of one of the textbooks some college kids left behind. Sonic found me and told me to deliver a drink to a customer at one of our pool tables all the way in the back. The customer happened to be Scourge."Her hands began to shake a bit as she mentioned his name.

"What did you think the first time you saw him?"

"I thought he was beautiful," she said as her lips threatened to pull up into a small smile. "He had those light blue eyes that made me feel all mushy inside when he looked at me. His hair looked so soft and curly. And his body…he looked like he was sculpted from the gods themselves." She blinked as her smile widened. "He joined me to play pool with him, and I accepted. We played, and drank for a while before I started getting tired. I'd been up prepping the club all day so I was worn out by one o' clock. He gave me his number, and he promised he'd see me the next day."

"And did he see you?"

"Yes. We started hanging out for the next month or so. He would show up to the club early, pay for my company for the entire night, and we'd spend time together. We'd talk, play pool, get drunk, make out…but we never had sex. Sometimes he seemed a bit reluctant to even touch on me when we'd make out in a corner. After experiencing so many men being so eager to grope on you, it felt nice to have someone who was considerate of their pace and paid attention to your needs. I thought he was a real gentlemen, as stupid as that sounds."

"What happened when he began to have to share you with the other customers?" Her smile immediately fell, her eyes shooting back down to her hands.

"He wasn't very happy when other customers bought me before he could. At first, he was never directly mad at me. He would be a bit irritated, but not at me. But when it started happening more frequently, he began to get really upset. He would never express it directly, but he would hold me tighter and his kisses were less gentle. He started to become a bit possessive in the way he handled me. About two weeks before he got me out of the business, he dragged me into one of the bedrooms and fucked me so hard. I know it sounds inappropriate, but I don't know how else to explain it. He definitely did not make love to me. I know how that feels from the other times we've slept together after that happened, and it felt nothing like that. He was rough, merciless, and dominant. He tied my wrists up, and he kept gripping me up by my neck. I will admit that I'd liked it, but I couldn't help but find it a bit strange when he kept telling me to repeat that I was his and to call him certain names that implied possession. He disappeared for a little while before he came back. I'd thought he left me behind, but I was so happy when I saw he'd come back. Though, he was different when I saw him after our intercourse. His eyes had a darkness in them that I'd never seen in him before, and his face was so cold." Her small shoulders shuddered. "I never thought I'd be afraid of him," she murmured. "That night, one of the other customers had bought me before he could. I wasn't sure what I was expecting out of him, but I know I didn't expect for him to pull out a gun and shoot the man in cold blood. Hell, I wasn't expecting for him to shoot up the whole entire club."

"What did you do while the shooting went on?"

"I tried to run…to find my sister. I knew she was around somewhere and I wanted to make sure she was safe. I found her hiding under the bar. She was crying…like the ten year old she used to be. I tried to convince her that everything would be okay, that we would get out of there safely." A lone tear fell from her eyes. "He found us hiding back there behind the bar along with some of the other girls. He shot them without a second thought. He…he pointed the gun at Amy and I…" Amy began to shake, her memory of the fear showing clear on her face. "I remember shielding my sister with my own body, and begging him to let us live. He lowered his gun and motioned with it as he told me to come to him."

"And did you go?"

"He told if I didn't then he'd kill us both," she replied quickly as she looked back up. "I couldn't let my sister down…I couldn't let her die so I crawled over to him. Amy kept trying to hold on to me, She was crying, and pleading for me not to leave her. I forced myself to pull her off of me and tell her to be strong. He left without harming my sister. He took me to a hotel he'd been staying at over the past month, and left me alone in the bedroom so that he could wash the blood off of him. I laid in that bed and cried harder than I ever had." The doctor felt his stomach twist up as more tears fell from Rosalinda's emerald eyes. She had looked away again, her fingers wrapping around each other. "I think I cried myself to sleep, because when I woke up it was morning and he was gone. I tried to get out, but he had tied me to the bed. I had no choice but to lay there and wait until he got back."

"And what happened when he did come back?"

"He gave me a new pair of clothes and shoes to wear. He gave me a huge bag of cash that he claimed was from the checking account I'd told him I had. He promised that once we were out of Jersey, I'd be able to use it to get some new clothes and such. He was so nice to me… He apologized for the scene I'd had to witness, and he promised that I'd get used to it. I asked him who he was…why he did what he did."

"And what did he say?"

"He told me that he always gets what he wants." She fidgeted in her seat. "He got me a new ID, a passport…a new identity. We went to New Mexico…far away from my sister and my old life. He let me explore around the city as I wished at first. He let me shop for new clothes, and get a new hairstyle. I was a blonde for a long while. He didn't want to risk someone finding me off of my red hair. He was still nice to me for a while. He took me on dates, made love to me, talked about a future with me…a normal future. He made me forget about the night he shot up the club. I fell in love with him during that first year or so."

"How did his behavior start to change after your first year together?"

"It was subtle, at first. Usually, he'd be very irritable and bossy. Then he started to be more demanding, and he'd hit me when I didn't do what he'd asked."

"How did you feel when he hit you?"

"I felt like I deserved it. I mean, he wouldn't hit me over sexual things or anything. He'd ask me to run errands for him or clean the house or something little like that. Sometimes I'd just forget and he'd hit me for it. I felt like a kid who was just being punished for not doing their chores." She sighed. "We went on like that for a little while. But, I'd do a lot of things on purpose to make him angry. I used to be a feisty little thing before he broke down whatever spirit I had. I'd argue with him, physically fight him sometimes, and I'd attempt to leave on a daily basis. He'd beat me all the time, but I got used to the pain. Honestly, I began to enjoy the pain. Most of my life, I'd become accustomed to sexual pain and my body was lacking the lingering feeling of disgust. So, my body fed into his angry rages towards me and the negative emotions he'd push onto me. I used to swear that I'd hated him and that he hated me. Even when we'd have sex, it wasn't what it was the first year. It was similar to that of our first intercourse." She shook her head. "Once he instilled some of the anger he had into me, Scourge began to train me in combat and gun use. He used to make me fight him every other day, leaving us both with bruises and cuts everywhere. He taught me how to shoot a gun, how to kill without leaving a trace, how to lay low… He had a bachelor's degree in Criminology so he basically knew his whole way around the criminal justice system. He trained me in everything he knew before he had me perform my first kill for him."

"Can you describe that experience to me?"

"He had me break into a girl's house and stab her to death. The trick to it was that the girl and I were friends. Her name was Brittany…she was my first friend down in New Mexico. When Scourge first told me what he wanted me to do, I refused and called him crazy. She was my friend… Of course, he didn't care. He beat me until I agreed. So, I snuck into her house and seduced her in a way. She was a lesbian, and I knew she had some feelings for me." A small smile came upon her lips. "Hell, I might have had some for her too. But then again, I think I'd have feelings for anyone who was genuinely nice and cared about me." She shook her head. "Anyway, I seduced her and coerced her into sexual actions with me. A part of me did it to make Scourge angry, but another part of me liked the deceit. Brittany didn't know what was coming, and that thought excited me. After we were finished, I'd gone downstairs to grab a knife and some beers from her kitchen. When I got back up to her room, I seduced her again but this time when I got on top of her…I began to seriously choke her. I gave her a fair chance to fight for her life…and she took it. She fought back against me. Hell, we fought for a good ten minutes before I took advantage and stabbed her."

"And then you stabbed her seventy-two times, correct?"

"Yes," Rosalinda admitted, her voice turning frail. "I hadn't realized how much anger had built up inside of me. Everything that I'd been holding inside since my sister and I got kidnapped just came out. With every jab I took, I felt my anger rise. I didn't want to stop, honestly. I felt exhilarated, liberated, and angry…I felt so angry." Another tear left her eye. "Scourge had to grab me to get me to stop. I almost stabbed him too, if he hadn't calmed me down. He held me tight in his arms. He kept murmuring how proud he was of me. I hadn't heard that phrase in so long that I guess I just opened my will up to him more because I wanted to be something good in someone's eyes."

"And he made you feel as if you were appreciated…loved?"

"For the most part, yes. Doctor, I will be honest with you…I know what we did to all of those innocent people was wrong. I know that they didn't deserve to die and I know that we don't deserve to live. But, there were some people…some really bad people who Scourge gave me the chance to get back at for both of our sakes. We did kill some sex traffickers to free some young girls, we did kill some drug lords who killed a lot more people than we did…we did do this world some justice."

"The key word, Ms. Rose is 'some.' The two of you killed 'some' people who were doing bad things, and that's only because they got in your way. Mr. Delgado and you, Ms. Walsh, killed a lot of innocent people. The number is over a hundred due to your mass shootings and bombings. The two of you were more than just serial killers; you two were cold blooded maniacs who killed for the thrill of it. Do you understand?"

"Yes," she answered.

"Do you understand, completely, why Mr. Delgado is the way he is?"

"He was severely abused as a child and then his parents were murdered in front of him. He told me the sob story a long time ago."

"No," the doctor replied with more gruff than he intended. While clearly, Rosalinda had been knocked off her rocker long before Mr. Delgado came along, he still felt anger towards her. She admitted that she knew what she was doing was completely wrong and immoral yet she did it anyway for the sake of having someone care about her. He didn't know whether to pity her due to all the abuse she'd faced for the past fourteen years of her life or to be angry that she uses the abuse as an excuse to play the victim. "Mr. Delgado is a classified psychopath; he is violent, aggressive, manipulative, and has no ability to feel any type of emotion. He was never abused, Ms. Rose. He grew up in a family similar to yours. His parents were Catholics who went to Church every Sunday, participated and donated to community events, and worked with people directly. His father was a doctor and his mother was a school teacher. From their records and interviews taken from their family and friends, they were the sweetest people you could ever meet. But, their son…their son was cut from a completely different cloth. The neighbors said that he was a bit strange…not very sociable or talkative or friendly. He stuck to himself for the most part. His parents took him to a psychiatrist to have him examined after his violent behavior at school began to get worse. The doctor x-rayed and studied his brain to find that he is biologically a psychopath. Not even a month after the doctor discovered this, his parents were found dead – beaten and stabbed to death and Mr. Delgado had disappeared without a trace. Do you understand what I'm saying Ms. Rose?"

"I think so," Gabrielle replied, her eyebrows crinkling together in confusion. "You're saying that Scourge was born this way…?"

"Yes. He's severely mentally ill. His parents were getting ready to have him get treatment in a psychiatric ward. The detectives assume that's why he killed them. There's also the theory and proof from his psychological examinations that he generally hates every human being and their decision to send him away caused him to snap completely."

"But…but he cares about me," Rosalinda said weakly.

"No he doesn't. Mr. Delgado does not carry the ability to care about anyone…not even himself." Dr. Eisenhower raised his eyebrows as Rosalinda began to sob softly in front of him. She leaned her head down into her hands, and cried loudly. She kept shaking her head, murmuring "I'm sorry" and "God forgive me." The doctor sighed as he got up from his seat and made his way over to her. He knelt down beside her chair, and lightly hugged her.

"Shh," he murmured into her shirt. "It's alright now."

"No it's not," she croaked. "I killed all those people…I did it all for him and he was just using me to help him fuel whatever anger he has against humanity. I was just his pawn…his stupid sidekick. The fucking newspapers even called us the real life Joker and Harley Quinn." She shook her head. "I just wanna be good for someone. I just wanna be good…"

"You are good, babe," an unfamiliar voice said from the now open doorway. Both the doctor and Rosalinda shot up from their positions. Rosalinda's eyes filled with fear as her body began to shake. The doctor could only stand there, staring down the very man who'd caused the poor girl's demise. He was holding a gun, his stolen guard clothes covered in blood. The doctor's first response was to press the button under the table to call for the guards. The man chuckled from his spot as he walked closer. "Your little guard dogs are dead, doctor," he told him. He raised his gun. "And you will be too if you don't give me what I want."

"Please," Rosalinda whimpered as she stood up. She stepped behind the doctor, pressing her arm against his. "Please don't make me go with him. I'll be good, I promise."

"What do you want," the doctor asked cautiously.

"Don't play dumb," the man yelled sharply. "I want her. I would've left this shithole by now if I didn't have to come back for her."

"Why did you come back," Rosalinda asked. "You can't care about me so why do you keep me around? Why don't you just kill us both right here and be done with all of this?"

"Because you're too useful to me. Now come here or I'll hit you so hard in the head with this gun that you'll have brain damage." Rosalinda hesitated. "I said come here," the man yelled, his voice causing the small woman to flinch. She took a step towards him, but the doctor grabbed her arm.

"You can't go with him," he whispered to her.

"If I don't, he'll kill you."

"Why does that matter to you?"

"Because you're a sincere man, Dr. Eisenhower. You don't deserve to die like this. I couldn't save all of those other innocent people so I might as well save you." She leaned up on her tippy toes to kiss his cheek. "I have to go now." She slowly walked towards her boyfriend who wrapped his arm around her and pulled her tight against him. The man, Scourge, eyed up the doctor slowly before holding up his gun again. "Scourge no," Rosalinda said.

"Shut up," he growled at her. "We always said no survivors." With that, he shot the gun though it made no sound with the silencer on it. The doctor heard Rosalinda's soft scream of protest as he felt a sharp pain in his chest. The last thing he saw was Scourge's blood lusting smirk and the humanity in Rosalinda's eyes fade into a darkness as cold as the one he slipped into.

 **Review if you wish!**


	2. Into You

**Little run down on what I have planned: ten chapters, past to present comparison chapters, and it's all already outlined and I have the time/motivation to work on it. Enjoy!**

 **All Characters belong to Sega/Archie except my OCs.**

 _Into You_

 _February 1_ _st_ _2008_

"When are you going to ask him," Amy asked as she waltzed over to me. I was sitting in the room behind the bar, fumbling through a college math textbook that some idiot left on one of the couches. Boss didn't mind much when his girls took things that the customers left behind so I knew I wouldn't be in trouble for having it. However, I would get in trouble if Boss saw that I was hiding out in the back room not doing what I was supposed to. "Boss said to ask him in a year and it's been over a year. Besides, with all the textbooks that the stupid college boys leave that you've been studying, you could probably skip a few semesters."

"You know it doesn't work that way," I said as I glanced up at my little sister. She was wearing her favorite white crop top that expressed her pierced belly button and her favorite pair of high waist jean shorts. Her pink curls were pulled up into a messy ponytail that exposed her pretty face that was identical to mine. "And Boss isn't going to let me go to college. He's not stupid. If I even try to enroll anywhere, our last name will trigger something and Boss is going to have our asses on a platter before the government gets anywhere near him."

"Why not just apply under a different name?"

"Because social security numbers are required and unfortunately, we're shit out of luck when it comes to that type of stuff."

"Maybe if you just talk to him, he'll work something out. You're one of his best girls, that has to count for something right?" I let out a sigh as I looked up at my sister. At times like this, I felt bad for her. While she may have stopped praying for our freedom, I knew she never really stopped hoping completely. She'd always thought this was some type of punishment for being impatient on that night after church. We were tired, hungry, and wanted to just go home. Our parents, however, wanted to talk to their friends. They'd said we could go outside with our friends and that they'd be right out to get us. Sometimes I still wondered how they felt when we were nowhere in sight once they finally got out there. I still wondered if they were looking for us – even six years later.

"I'll talk to him," I lied. "I'll do it in a few days when he's not busy or when he's in a good mood or something, okay?" My sister's face lit up into a smile as she nodded. I returned the smile before my eyes caught sight of another figure coming in through the doorway.

"Get back out there," Sonic, Boss' son commanded us. He was a year older than me with sleeves of tattoos on his arms, light green eyes, blue hair, and a body of the gods. I used to have a crush on him when we were younger, but I got over that real quick when I realized how much of an asshole he was. He was never really nice to us or the other young girls who Boss had brought in. He basically resented us for getting more attention than he did from his father. We were the foundation of his father's business while he was just the heir who sat on the throne to look nice. He knew one day he would take control of his father's business, but he also knew that there would be no business without us. Boss could easily replace one of us and still receive the same amount of praise from the money we bought him. Sonic, however, was irreplaceable and was practically beat on by his father no matter how many things he did right. I'd tried many times to befriend him when we were first captured since Boss continued to pair me with him to "train" for my future customers. Sonic wasn't interested in talking, however. He was the first man to ever touch me, the first to kiss me, the first to deflower me – and I hated him for that.

"We're coming," Amy said as he began to walk into the room. Sonic glanced down at the textbook I was working with as he appeared next to my sister. I saw a muscle in his jaw jump as he looked over my paper that was filled with my scratch work. Sonic was actually able to go to college and attended the local university as a business major. He had earned a full academic scholarship and seemed to be excelling in his classes. However, it annoyed him to no end when he saw one of us girls doing exactly what he was doing. In his eyes, we were his inferiors and we shouldn't be allowed to have the privileges that weren't given to us. He was alright with us taking money and jewelry left behind from the customers, but he hated when I walked out with a book or two. "I was just getting her," Amy said, causing Sonic's eyes to go to her. She offered him a small smile as one of her hands went to touch her hair. I raised an eyebrow as I swallowed the urge to hit her. I knew she only touched her hair when she liked a boy or when she was nervous. I'd seen her do it with some of her regular customers, but never with Sonic. Yea, I'd heard recently amongst the other girls that Amy and Sonic were sleeping together but I didn't believe it. I refused to. She was my little sister and he was the biggest dick on the planet. I wouldn't ship that pairing as long as I breathed.

"You stay here," Sonic murmured as his eyes roamed around her revealing outfit. "I wanna talk to you about something." He then looked to me. "You get out there and serve a scotch to pool table ten. The guy ordered a drink five minutes ago so be pleasant about it." I rolled my eyes at him as I got up. I reluctantly walked out the room and out into the bar. I heard the door slam shut behind me causing me to roll my eyes again. I looked out over the lounge to see who would want to be at pool table ten. The table was all the way in the back of the lounge, far away from the dancers and the gambling tables. Most guys didn't prefer to go back there unless they wanted some alone yet public time with one of the girls.

The man who was back there seemed to be by himself. I could only see the faint figure due to the dim lighting, so I couldn't exactly see what he was doing. However, I did see him circling around the pool table with his stick in hand. I poured him a short glass of scotch before knocking on the door of the room my sister and Sonic were in. "What," Sonic yelled.

"You want me to keep him company or want me to keep waitressing," I asked.

"If he's alone, keep him company. Make sure he tips you."

"Got it," I replied before walking back over to the array of bottles. I took out some of my own tip money to pay for the bottle of scotch as I took one down. I also grabbed another short glass from under the cabinets. I juggled everything in my arms as I walked over to the stranger all the way in the back. The lounge wasn't busy that night surprisingly. Usually on Friday nights, we'd be buzzing with customers and loud music. It was unusual for the lounge to be so quiet on a weekend night. Sure the music was still playing and conversation was alive, but it was just…strange. My eyes scanned over the rooms designated for men to take the girls when they paid for them to see most of them were occupied. My question to the unusual quiet was answered, and I relaxed a little.

The man at the lone pool table caught my eye as I got closer. He was very attractive which caught me off guard. While I would admit some of the men were good looking, I rarely enjoyed sleeping with them. The attraction just wasn't mutual for me. However, with this man, I found myself actually getting butterflies from his looks. He had wavy green hair that was short cut on his head but long enough to grab, stormy blue eyes that were focused on the pool table, defined jaw line, a scar next to his left eye, and tanned skin. He was wearing a tee shirt that hugged his tattooed biceps and torso and a pair of jeans that accented his long legs. "Scotch on the rocks," I said as I put the glass down on the small table next to the pool table. He looked up at me from his low position. His mouth had curled up as if he were annoyed but his lips fell quickly as his eyes took me in. I was wearing a pink lacy bralette, high waist white washed jean shorts, and my favorite white washed ripped jean jacket. I felt blood rush to my cheeks as his lips tugged at the sides.

"Thank you," he said, his deep voice smooth with a strong Hispanic accent. He looked back down at his task and hit a red ball straight into a hole. He looked to me as he straightened himself up. He walked slowly around the pool table to retrieve his scotch, his eyes never leaving mine. He leaned against the pool table to be across from me as he took a long swig of his drink.

"So, are you new around here? I haven't seen you around before," I attempted to start conversation.

"I'm in town for a few weeks handling some business." He paused. "I'm assuming you're here often considering you know new faces when you see 'em."

"I'm here every day of the week."

"Are you always waitressing?"

"Sometimes. I kind of do a little bit of everything. Sometimes I bartend, sometimes I dance, and other times I attend to customers' needs." The man raised an eyebrow at me.

"Needs? So, you're saying this is a whore house?" I blushed at the use of the degrading word, but I slowly nodded my head. I diverted my eyes away from his so I wouldn't see his reaction. "Huh," he said with surprise. "The locals told me this was just the best place to have a drink and a nice time. I didn't think they meant…" He paused again, the silence between us thickening. "What's a girl like you doing in a place like this?"

"A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do," I said with a shrug. The man's stormy eyes held mine for a moment before they diverted themselves to the extra cup and full bottle on the table. His eyebrow raised as he took another sip of his drink.

"My needs are all taken care of, thank you _senorita._ " With that, he put his empty glass on the table and turned his attention back to the colorful balls on the table. "But, what you can do is leave that bottle of scotch right there on the table." He dug into his pocket to pull out his wallet. He pulled out a couple twenties and tossed them onto the table. "Keep the change."

"Oh…alright." I wasn't exactly used to rejection. I was one of the most demanded girls in the lounge due to my so-called "feistiness" that men seemed to enjoy. Boss also told me that my naturally red hair was also a huge turn on for the guys who came in. I never really understood that concept before I'd realized that Amy and I were the only pink-heads in the entire establishment. Of course guys would want the odd ones out of the bunch – and the mouthiest. However, usually I would be okay when a guy would dismiss me if he wasn't feeling the vibe. That was usually when I didn't want to sleep with them though and I was ruining the man's attitude on purpose. With this guy, I hadn't even conversed with him for five minutes before he was giving me the boot. He was tipping me heftily though so I guessed I could leave him alone.

I grabbed the money and the second glass off of the table before walking over to the bar. There were a couple regulars sitting around the bar, watching the televisions intensely. Some sports game was on or something. I wasn't sure nor did I really care. I more or less just hoped that the night would go by as slowly as it was. I wasn't in the mood to entertain any of the men. All I really wanted to do was work on the math problems I was doing before Sonic interrupted. I hadn't seen him or Amy come out of the back room so I assumed they were still in there.

"Everything still alright," I asked the regulars who were sitting around the bar. They all nodded, their eyes glued to the television screens. With all the customers satisfied, I pulled out one of my small novels that I'd managed to sneak into work from one of the cabinets. I sat down on one of the stools behind the bar and flipped through the book to find the page I'd stopped at. The novel I'd found a week prior was a romance one – to my pleasant surprise. Usually I'd have to go to the store to find novels about romance and soul-searching. Most of the novels the college students left behind were boring ones they were required to read. I'd usually take one look at them and mentally barf. Sometimes there were a few good fictional ones about space or the old days or even some western themes. However, it was rare I'd find a romance one.

I managed to get through another hundred or so pages of my novel before it was snatched out of my hands. I glared up at Sonic who was hovering over me with the novel tight in his hands. "The man at table ten asked for your company," Sonic said before pushing my novel into my chest. "Put that away and get back to work." I rolled my eyes at him before I tucked the novel away. I looked over to the table I'd been to earlier to see the man I'd talked to earlier was still there. I could only wonder what he wanted. He'd dismissed me earlier so why was he calling me back? "I'd take a few condoms with you. He paid for your company for the rest of the night."

"Why," I asked. "He basically told me to fuck off earlier."

"If I was a mind reader then I'd have an answer for you, but I'm not so you have fun answering that question yourself." I rolled my eyes at him. "You guys can use room thirteen upstairs if he wants you alone." Sonic held out the key to me. "You know the drill if that happens." I didn't answer him. Instead, I just took the key out of his hands and walked off towards the man in the back. He was leaning down against the pool table, his stormy eyes once again focused on his task. He hit the cue ball which ensued of the chain reaction of the red ball hitting the yellow ball and sending it right into one of the corner holes.

"Nice shot," I said as I forced a smile on my face. The man looked up at me, his cool eyes taking me in once more.

"Did they give you the money," he asked. I crinkled my eyebrows in confusion as I crossed my arms against my chest.

"What money?"

"The money for the night. They do give it to you girls, right?" I could've laughed if it weren't for the sincere look of concern on the man's face. I guessed he thought this was one of the business where the girls got the profit for their personal doings while the man upstairs gets whatever money the actual establishment gets. I wished it worked that way for us. Boss kept records of how much money men spend on each of us personally and give us payments out of a certain percentage of our making. Usually it's about four or five hundred every two weeks or so on average. I always had an extra hundred or so since I was requested more often and I worked more than the other girls. Boss made sure to add in our other duties around the lounge so I made a lot off of that. If this job was just a side gig then I would be rolling in money. While I was already rolling in it, it wasn't as if I could do anything with it. Boss had all the girls cooped up in one apartment complex, in our own apartments, with all his workers to make sure we didn't go anywhere. We didn't have to pay for it out of pocket; I always assumed he took it out of our paychecks. Boss' men always accompanied us when we went out shopping to get food or clothes or whatever we liked. Most girls used the money to buy fancy clothes and pamper themselves. Amy and I saved up our money instead and only went on shopping sprees when we felt it was needed. Boss let us all have our own accounts so if I ever did get out of here, I would be secure enough to have my own house and start a new life. While I doubted that wouldn't happen until was I was too old to really do anything with my life, I still thought it might be worthwhile to save in case I got pregnant or Boss got rid of me. I liked the thought of having security in the life after my whoring experience.

"Something like that," I said as I shrugged. "So, since you paid for me for the night…what do you wanna do?" The man stared at me for a moment before he finally spoke.

"What's your name?" The question was so simple though I wasn't expecting that. Usually men would grab me by the arm and drag me into whatever room Sonic said I could use. The rest of the night from there usually included me silently wishing for the man to be done with me so that I could go back to my novels or book work. They rarely asked me for my name. Most just called me "baby" or "babe" all night. They never cared enough to ask such a simple question.

"Rosalinda but I go by Rosy," I said, letting my accent take over my voice. "What's yours?"

"Scourge," he replied. "Rosalinda," he repeated, my name a soft purr in his throat. His lips tugged at the ends as he walked around the pool table to me. He held out his hand to me. "It's a pleasure to meet you." My smile became real as I shook his hand. His hands were rough but they firmly grasped mine in a way that made me lightly gasp.

"Pleasure's all mine.," I replied. "However, I must ask what caused you to change your mind about my company."

"I got lonely, you were sitting all by yourself, and I figured I was being a douche earlier so I thought I could make it up to you." I blushed as his lips pulled up into a small smile, exposing a small dimple in his cheek. He took a step closer to me as he spoke next. "Is that okay with you?"

"Um yea…that's fine," I said as I tucked a curl behind my ear. Scourge grinned down at me.

"So, you up for a good game of pool?"

"Sure…but prepare to have your ass kicked." He raised an eyebrow as his grin widened.

"Oh really?"

"I've beaten every chump who's dared to challenge me in a game. I'm sure you'll be no different."

"We'll see," Scourge replied. I smiled after him as he gathered up all of the balls out of the holes and rearranged them into the center of the table. We played together for an hour or so before I got tired. I was winning significantly, as expected, and Scourge actually seemed impressed. Most of the other guys, and sometimes even the girls, would get mad when I would beat them at every game we played. Scourge only smirked at me whenever I made a winning shot or when I taunted him about how his aim sucked. However, my trash talk and my skills began to fade as my body began to lose its energy. Scourge seemed to notice my weariness, his stormy eyes continuously running over my slender body. "You wanna settle down," he asked as I leaned against the table.

"Yea. My boss gave me a room we could use if you wanted to go up there." Scourge stared at me for a moment, his expression blank. He didn't seem mad that I'd asked to go upstairs, but he didn't seem happy either. In fact, he didn't seem as if he had any feelings towards it. I had to admit the blank look in his eyes worried me a little. For once, I actually wanted to be desired by a man – by this man. Scourge seemed like the kind of guy I might have actually pursued a relationship with if I'd never been abducted. He had the handsome card down but he also seemed…normal. A lot of the guys who came by the club usually had relationship problems or mommy issues or something stupid like that. They had come looking for sex and attention, but Scourge didn't. He was just looking for a place to have a drink and a nice time. Surely, that could mean his intentions were better than the other men who I'd been approached by.

"Alright," he said after a while. He set his pool stick on the table. "Lead the way." I felt the blood rush up my cheeks as I began to head towards the steps that were close to where we were playing. Scourge trailed close behind me, his body heat radiating off onto my back. I glanced over at the bar where my sister and Sonic were talking. For once, Sonic was actually smiling, his hands moving animatedly to whatever he was saying. My sister was smiling up at him, her green eyes sparkling with admiration. The sight worried and intrigued me. I'd never seen Sonic happy to talk to one of us…I'd never seen him happy at all in fact. I could only wonder what exactly was going on between him and my sister.

The room Sonic had assigned me was similar to most of the other rooms in the lounge. There was a king sized bed, relaxed colored wall paper, a dresser for lingerie, a small balcony/ledge with glass double doors and a small bathroom. I lead Scourge into the room before flopping down onto the bed. My feet instantly felt relieved from the absent pressure of the heels that I'd been wearing all day. My body also began to relax as I snuggled into the pillow I'd thrown myself on. I watched Scourge as he shut and locked the door behind him. His stormy blue eyes were on me, his mouth tugging at the ends. He slowly walked towards me, causing me to remember what these rooms were for. While he never said anything about having sex, that didn't mean that he might change his mind about what he wanted. My stomach arose in butterflies at the thought of him taking me right then and there, though I couldn't tell if it was in fear or excitement. I barely knew this guy – then again I barely knew any of the other guys I'd been forced to sleep with. But would I be forcing myself with him? Or would I willingly give myself up if he asked for me?

I didn't have to answer my question when he sat down on the edge of the bed beside me. He pulled my legs into his lap and carefully unstrapped my heels. He took off my shoes and set them down on the floor. "Those looked uncomfortable," he told me as he reached for my jacket. I allowed him to take that off as well before he rolled me to lay on my stomach. I almost asked him what he was doing before I felt his rough hands on my shoulder blades. Hell, I almost let out a moan when he began to massage my back. His hands weren't gentle, but they moved in a soothing circular pattern that eased my muscles' tension. "Where are you from," I heard him ask as I was basking in the bliss of his hands on my skin.

"South Carolina," I replied.

"That's a long ways from New Jersey. What are you doing down here…in a place like this?"

"Let's just say that life doesn't always play out the way you think it does. You can make one decision thinking it's not going to mean anything, but then it changes your whole life."

"You didn't choose this…did you?"

"Of course not," I murmured. "No one ever chooses to be a prostitute or a whore or whatever name you wish to call us. For some girls here, it was a last resort to make money and provide for themselves or for their kids…and for others it was just something we were thrown into." There was a short silence before I spoke again. "Where are you from?"

"That's not important," he replied quickly. I rolled myself out of his grasp and sat up. I raised my eyebrows at him causing him to sigh. He looked away from me, his blue eyes fogging up a bit. "Albuquerque, New Mexico," he said simply.

"What are you doing down here?"

"Business ventures." He looked to me as he began to rub my calf that rested in his lap. "You think you're gonna get out of here one day? Make a real life for yourself? I saw you reading that book behind the bar. You're smart, aren't you?"

"I guess. Boss doesn't exactly issue out IQ tests in his free time. But, in all honesty, I'm not really sure what's going to happen to me. I have a younger sister here who I need to make an example for. It's not like I can just rebel myself out of here and not think about how the consequences can fall on her. I haven't even thought about getting out. I've kind of already accepted that it's not going to happen."

"How do you know that," he asked as he raised an eyebrow. "If you're smart then you can go to college, get a degree, get a job…make something of yourself."

"It's a lot more complicated than you think." There was another short pause before I spoke again. "Wait, don't tell me you're one of those church missionaries who come here to preach to us about finding a better path in life because if you are then I'm telling you right now that I'd rather follow Satan than whatever path you think the all mighty one can make for me." Scourge stared at me for a moment before letting out a howl of laughter. I wasn't sure what exactly I'd said that was funny. I'd only said what I'd told every other missionary who managed to sneak under my radar and try to convert me. They all didn't think it was so funny. Usually, they'd start yelling at me about how wrong it was to say that I'd follow Satan. Then I'd argue with them about how I was already following him until they gave up and left me alone.

"Dios mio, chica," Daniel said between his laughter. "Trust me, I'm far from a church missionary. I was only asking because…" He wiped a tear from his eye. "You just seem as if you're worth more than what this place has to offer."

"Oh." I felt myself begin to blush. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He smiled. "So, what would life look like if you had never gotten into this business?"

"I'd probably in college more than likely. I'd probably be studying something within communications or English or something. Maybe I'd try to become a book agent or something. I'm not quite sure. I like stories, but I also like math a little bit. Usually they're on two different ends of the spectrum so I'm not…I'm not quite sure where they'd connect. Are you in college?"

"I graduated a year or two ago. I got my degree in Criminal Justice – more specifically criminology. I like…I like to analyze the way criminals think…how they work…the motives behind what they do. I also think its interesting how the cops catch the criminals…how they track them down and such. I think it's fascinating really."

"Sounds fascinating. How old are you again?"

"Twenty three, you?"

"Nineteen. You're old." I grinned at him as he rolled his eyes. "But you're cute." His small smile returned as he pulled me into his lap. He lay down on his back, cradling me on top of him in his arms. I relaxed as I listened to his heartbeat and his voice in his chest as we talked for the rest of the night. We discussed our dreams, the infinite universe, some of the problems in society, and even some novels we'd both read. It felt nice…talking to someone instead of just doing the physical. Scourge had an intellect similar to mine. He was smart, but didn't flaunt it. He was also a bit quiet although his tongue seemed to be just as sharp as mine. I liked him…I liked him a lot. When he had to leave since the lounge was closing, I walked him all the way to the door. I noticed Amy looking at me with curious eyes as we passed the bar. I knew she was going to say something as soon as we got home, but I would deal with her later. Right then, I just wanted to finish out the night right with a man I was actually enjoying.

"Will you be here tomorrow night," Scourge asked. I nodded.

"I'm here basically every night."

"Good. Do you um…do you have a phone?"

"Yea. It's at home but I can write my number down somewhere if you want." Scourge dug in his pocket to pull out a silver iPhone. "Or we can do that." Scourge smiled as I typed my number into my phone.

"I'll text you," he promised before giving me a hug. "I'll see you around."

"Yea. I'll see you around." With one last smile, he turned and headed out into the chilly weather. I watched him go, my smile widening on my face. I'd never seriously crushed on a guy before. Sure, there was Sonic but that only lasted for like ten seconds. With Scourge, I felt more than just butterflies in my stomach. I felt a need…a longing to be wrapped in his arms just as I was a few minutes before. He was so comfortable…and I felt so wanted. I actually felt…loved for once in a long time. While it may have been a bit soon to think that way, I couldn't help myself. It wasn't every day that a man held me like that and sincerely talked to me.

I helped the other girls clean up around the lounge before Sonic drove Amy and I back to the complex. I gave my sister a glare after we got out the car. "What," she asked, her accent thickening. "Sonic is actually really sweet. He's just…he's just misunderstood ya know."

"I just don't want him to hurt you," I told her. "You know how he is."

"I know," Amy said as she looked down. "But he's so different with me. He actually talks to me and he doesn't just want sex. Besides, it's just a little fun."

"Just be careful…please."

"I will. Off of me and onto you, what was up with you and that guy tonight? Was the sex good?"

"We didn't have sex. We just…we talked." My sister raised an eyebrow at me. "Yes, I know, it's strange but it felt good…really good."

"Yea okay hot stuff," my sister said as I began to unlock the door to our apartment. I had to admit our apartment was pretty spacious and well-decorated. While we only had three bedrooms, they were all occupied with king sized beds, dressers, desks, personal bathrooms and closets. Our living room had a sectional couch, a lazy-boy, a love seat, and a flat screen in it. The kitchen was furnished with a full refrigerator, stove, oven, counters, and even a small table. There was also a small balcony area all the way in the back of our apartment where I liked to stare at the stars if I couldn't sleep. My sister and I went our separate ways to our rooms after giving each other a hug. My phone was laying on my bed where I'd left it that morning. I picked it up to see that Scourge had already texted me a few times. I felt a smile creep up my face as I replied back to let him know that I'd gotten his texts. I changed into my pajamas and lay down on my bed. I could barely keep my eyes open as I gave in to my weariness. The last thing I remembered that night was thinking about Scourge's arms and fantasizing that I was still in them.

I woke up late the next morning, my phone's alarm blaring in my ears. I reluctantly rolled over to turn it off. I forced myself not to look at the messages since I had to start getting ready for the work day. Since I'd woken up late, I didn't exactly have time to google over whatever messages Scourge might have sent me over the night. I rushed my shower and hurried to dress in a black bralette and a pair of tight black jeans. I threw my leather jacket over the outfit before fixing my red curls. I hurried to put on some foundation, eye liner, some eye shadow, and red lipstick before I ran out to the kitchen to grab a granola bar. I barely made it downstairs on time where Sonic was waiting for me due to my stilettos.

Amy had most of the day off to sleep like the rest of the girls, but I was one of the few who didn't mind getting up early and helping get the lounge together. Sometimes it got me out of night duty and I got to have the night to read or watch television or something. However, it always left me with Sonic early in the morning for a few hours…and Sonic was not a morning person. "What took you so long," he growled at me as I approached him.

"I'm here now so does it matter?" I replied. Sonic rolled his eyes at me, but followed me out to his blue mustang. The drive to the lounge was silent – as per the usual. Hell, throughout most of the morning it was pretty quiet between the two of us and whatever girls were there to help. While it was never super early in the morning, we were all still too tired from the late night before to really make conversation. I mostly helped Sonic with the books in the back room, calculating sale numbers and estimates. Sonic expected that night to be similar to the nights we've been having: slow. Since Valentine's Day was slowly approaching, lots of men wanted to spend time with the actual women in their lives. Some of the men who were regulars actually had relationships with some of the girls, but all they were doing were buying rooms for the night and not really doing much else. There wasn't a need for an abundance of dancers or waitresses or any of that. Sonic assured me that we might be able to chill for the next couple of weeks. The news made me feel a little bit less bitter about having to deal with his grumpy ass.

Around six, when the lounge opened, Sonic let me hang out in the back since I'd spent all day helping him. I dived back into the novel I was reading although I didn't get much farther before Scourge texted me.

 _Where are you?_ His message was simple and easily answerable, but I didn't directly text back. Instead, I tucked my book away and walked out into the dim lit lounge. I squinted my eyes to look for my new crush. I easily spotted him standing near the pool table he was at the night before. He was looking around as well, his blue eyes moving around the room rapidly. A smile unconsciously made its way up my face as I made my way over to him. His eyes eventually found me and I noticed his shoulders relax. He returned the small smile as I got closer. "Hi," he greeted.

"Hi yourself," I replied as I looked over his simple outfit of a grey tee and dark wash jeans. Scourge's stormy eyes were also lingering over my body. His gaze was slow, steady…almost predator-like. He wasn't smiling or smirking; instead, he was literally just staring down at me. For a moment, I felt as though he was examining me. While his gaze may have been gentle, I could see the thoughts buzzing in his irises. I wanted to ponder over what exactly he thought of me, but I didn't want to at the same time. I was a whore, after all. No one ever thought much of us no matter how pretty we were.

"You look nice," he complimented me as a smile slowly came upon his face. My cheeks flushed red as my smile widened. I didn't have the time to thank him before I heard Sonic calling my name. I looked behind me to see him standing behind the bar across from one of my usual customers. He was an attractive middle aged man with biceps, strong hands, and family issues. He'd told me all about his annoying wife, bad ass kids, and his hatred for his job when we finished our physical acts. Sometimes I listened and sometimes I just tuned him out. He wasn't really one of my favorite people to be around, but he paid good money for his time with me – mostly because he paid for an all-nighter. The thought that I'd have to spend the whole night with him instead of Scourge made me want to lay on the floor and play dead. All I wanted was one night with the guy I was starting to like, but I guess I couldn't even get that.

"Whoa," Scourge said as I took a step towards the bar. His hand had shot out to grab my wrist tightly causing me to look back at him with an eyebrow raised. "Where are you going?"

"There's a regular here who I have to tend to," I admitted as I looked down at my shoes. "I'm sorry, but I have to go."

"How long will he need you?"

"It depends. Sometimes it's just for a half an hour and sometimes it's the whole night." I heard him sigh deeply as his hand squeezed my wrist tighter. "We can hang out tomorrow night if you-"

"How much will it cost to out pay him?" I looked up at him to see his jaw was clenched and his stormy eyes were darkening. He practically yanked me up against him, his lips going down to my ear. "I don't want him touching you," he whispered huskily.

"Um, I'm not sure. This isn't an auction, Scourge. Usually when one of us is taken, a customer just settles for a different girl." I heard Alex call my name again, his tone hardening from his irritation. "Look, I really have to go. I'm sorry." I wiggled out of Scourge's grasp to hurry over to the bar. My regular smiled drunkenly at me as Sonic slid me a set of keys. He was glaring at me, his eyes practically sending daggers through my head.

"I'm sorry for the wait," Sonic apologized though he kept his eyes on me. My regular laughed it off as he slapped my behind harshly.

"It's fine. I got her now, that's all that matters." He placed a sloppy kiss on my cheek as he pulled me against him. I bit my lip to fight the nausea that began to arise in my stomach. "You ready to roll, sweetheart?"

"Sure," I replied. My regular gave my behind another squeeze before he began to stumble towards the steps. I began to follow him, but Sonic grabbed my arm and practically slammed me against the side of the bar. I bit my lip to hide the whimper of pain that wanted to come out of my mouth. He squeezed my arm harshly as he whispered in my ear.

"Don't ever do that again. If I call you then you come, understand? I don't care if you're with your little boy toy over there. You work for me – not him. Understand?"

"Yes," I replied softly.

"Now what do you say?"

"I'm sorry." I wanted to spat in his face for making me apologize, but I knew my night wouldn't end well if I did that. Alex treated us like dogs sometimes, and it annoyed me to no end. I wished he could see us as his equals or even just hold a certain level of respect for us. I got the fact that his job was to boss us around, but he didn't have to be so rude about it.

"Room nine," he said as he released my arm. I didn't reply. Instead, I jogged up to my regular who was already well on his way up the stairs to the room area. The rest of the night was a bit of a blur for me. I remembered zoning out during my time with my regular. He took me a few times and whined about how horrible his life was going in between rounds. I wasn't sure why, but I couldn't even get myself to focus on some of what he said or what he was doing. All I could think about was Scourge and how angry he'd gotten when I had to leave. I wondered if he hadn't taken me serious about the whole whore house thing and thought I actually had some potential in me to make a life. I wondered if he thought lowly of me due to the fact that I didn't have my own will or my own say in anything. I wondered if he thought I was worthless for actually being paid for having sex with random guys. The last thought made my head hurt. I didn't want him to think badly of me, though I'd only just met him. For once, I just wanted a guy to see me for who I really was and not who Boss had molded me to be.

When I finally got to leave, I was sore and tired. My neck hurt from my regular's harsh love bites, and my pelvis area was sore from his relentless thrusting. I wanted nothing more but to go home, shower, and sleep. My eyes scanned around the dim lit lounge to find my sister's head of pink hair. I hadn't gotten to see her almost all night. While I knew she was probably fine, it didn't hurt to check. I spotted her rose mane behind the bar. She was leaning on her elbows against the tabletop with a bright smile on her face. There was a man sitting across from her with blue hair and sleeves of tattoos. I figured off the back that it was only Sonic. He was the only person I'd seen her smile like that around.

"Hey, Rosy," my sister greeted me as I approached them. I smiled weakly at her as Sonic turned his eyes to me.

"Is it okay if I sign off a little early tonight," I asked him. A muscle in his jaw jumped as his eyes turned into daggers. Boss usually didn't approve of girls leaving early, but he did give exceptions if they'd been working all day. Sonic usually didn't give a shit whether or not we worked all day or half a day – if he needed us to stay then we had to. I'd already anticipated that he'd reject my request, but it never hurt to at least ask.

"You should let her, Sonic," Amy chimed in. His eyes darted to her, the daggers disappearing immediately. She smiled softly at him. "She's been here practically all day. She does deserve the chance to rest, doesn't she?" Sonic's jaw tightened for a moment before he sighed deeply.

"Alright," he said lowly. "You know the way to walk back, don't you?"

"Yea," I replied.

"Good. Don't wander off again, understand?"

"Yea." I looked to Amy who sent me a wink. I offered her a small smile before I headed out of the lounge. A couple guys catcalled after me as I walked out, but I ignored them. I was happy that I had the chance to go home, shower, and have the rest of the night to myself. I mentally debated whether to continue the television show I'd been binge watching on Netflix or to put on one of my favorite movies. Both of them combined with a hot cup of tea and a sandwich sounded great to me.

"Rosy," I heard Scourge's voice as a hand caught ahold of my wrist. I flinched away instinctively as I looked up at him. He was hovering over me with his eyebrows crinkled together in confusion from my movement. He slowly held up his hands as he took a step back. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's okay," I replied as I let out a sigh of relief.

"Are you heading home," he asked. I nodded as I rubbed my neck to hide the hickeys. Even though Scourge clearly knew what I was doing most of the night, I didn't want him to see the evidence. I still wanted to try to look pure in his eyes. "Do you need a ride? I can drive you if you want."

"I was actually just gonna walk. My apartment complex isn't too far from here."

"Well, would you mind if I walked with you?" I began to raise an eyebrow. "A pretty lady like yourself shouldn't be wandering around alone in the dark." I blushed.

"I guess that would be alright," I said sheepishly. I crossed my arms together as a chilly breeze kissed my shoulders. Scourge's eyes caught my soft shiver, and he took off his jacket that I hadn't noticed he was wearing. He took a slow step towards me, his eyes silently asking if it was okay before gently placing the jacket on my shoulders. I smiled at him as he secured it around my body. His jacket was warm and radiated with the soft smell of expensive cologne. I immediately mourned the thought that I'd have to give it back later. I wished that I could keep it and snuggle with it forever. The warmth and the smell and the tingling in my stomach…it reminded me of home.

Scourge walked with me back to the apartment complex though we both stayed pretty quiet. I was too tired to think of anything to say while Scourge was too busy examining me. Every time I looked up at him, he was already looking down at me. His stormy eyes mostly fixated on my bruised neck and swollen lips. They seemed to have darkened each time I looked up, his mouth twisting into a small frown. A part of me felt like I should say something to defend myself against whatever he was thinking, but another part of me figured that I should just say quiet and not make his judgements worse. While I never chose to be a whore, it was still who I was and I'd accepted it. I had no choice but to.

"Fancy building," Scourge commented as we approached the huge apartment complex. "Does it cost a fortune?"

"I wouldn't know. Boss pays for all this for us. We don't really have to worry about much of anything financially."

"Then what do you do with your money?"

"I save almost all my money. I only spend when I need to. I figured that if one day I do make it out of this business, at least I'll have some money to help me start over."

"That's smart." I nodded as I reluctantly began to shrug off his jacket.

"Thanks for walking me home. I really do appreciate it."

"We don't have to end the night here," he said as he grabbed the collar of his jacket that was coming down my back. He pulled it back over my shoulders, crossing it together to cover all of me again. "If you don't mind, I can buy us some food and we can watch a movie or talk…" I blushed as I looked down. "If you don't want to, that's okay."

"No, no, I do want to…it's just….I never had a guy over before." I blushed harder as I spoke, my embarrassment clear. He was silent for a moment as I shifted my weight between my feet. I could feel his eyes on me, but I was too ashamed to look up at him. I didn't want to see what kind of judgements his eyes were carrying. I would've rather just been a coward and avoid eye contact. He sighed deeply before I felt his hand grab a soft hold on my arm.

"Come on, Rosy." He tugged gently. "I can guarantee you that I'm no worse than the guys who take advantage of you at your job. You can trust me. My intentions aren't to hurt you." I slowly looked up at him to see his ice blue eyes were gentle. I'd never really trusted anyone besides my sister since we'd gotten abducted so, his request for me to trust him made my stomach tingle even more than it already was. I nodded as I let a small smile come upon my lips. He returned the tiny smile. "If you want, I can go grab some pizza while you get changed."

"Okay," I replied. "I live on the fifth floor, apartment 571." He nodded.

"I'll see you in about a half hour then." I nodded before I backed out of his grasp. I reluctantly broke out of his soft gaze to walk into my building. I hurried up to my apartment and quickly jumped into the shower. I roughly washed away the unwanted events of the night before I changed into one of my pajama crop tops and a pair of fleece pajama pants. I ran a brush through my hair to make it look reasonable in its damp state. Even though I looked like I was ready for bed by the time I heard a knock on the door, I still held some confidence. If Scourge could like me when I was dolled up then he would hopefully have some appreciation for my plain Jane look.

Scourge was holding a small box of pizza when I opened the door, his ice blue eyes analyzing over the décor of the hallway. They immediately went to me when he noticed I'd opened the door. He looked over my outfit, his eyes lingering on my fleece pajama pants that were covered with Tweety birds. "Hi," I told him causing his eyes to flick back up to my face.

"Hey," he replied. I moved aside to let him in. His eyes were constantly moving as he stepped inside. He briefly studied every inch of the apartment in plain sight though his eyes lingered in certain spots for longer periods of time. I noticed he took in where the doors and windows were. His gaze was no longer gentle, instead a bit tense somehow. His mouth was pulled into a deep frown as he continued to look over my apartment. The look sent a chill down my spine, but I pushed my feelings down. I hadn't known what he'd meant when he told me that he was no worse than the other men who'd taken advantage of me, but I knew that he wouldn't hurt me. If he wanted to hurt me, then he would've done it the day before when he had me alone in the room at the lounge.

"So, this is my apartment," I said as I motioned to the space around me.

"Do you live with someone," he asked as I began to lead him into my room.

"Yea, my sister lives here too."

"Will she be back here anytime tonight?"

"Um, yea…she should be." We walked into my room and he shut the door behind him. "Do you want anything to drink? I have wine coolers, beers, soda, juice, water…" I talked as I wandered to the corner of the room to drag out my small coffee table to set in front of the television.

"A beer would be fine. Let me do that." I felt his hands on my hips causing me to shoot up. He was standing so close that I almost bumped into him when I'd turned around. "You alright," he asked as my cheeks began to burn. I nodded as I squeezed around him.

"I'll be right back with the drinks." I saw him nod before I practically ran out of the room. I wasn't sure why I was so jumpy around him…or so timid. Usually around guys, I was always cool and mouthy. But then again, the other guys I'd been around weren't like him. I had to admit that being alone with him was intimidating – he himself was intimidating. Something about him just felt…strange. Yes, he was sweet, kind, and easy to talk to, but I couldn't help but feel that maybe I was falling too much into the persona. I didn't really know him that well and he didn't really know me. I was falling too deep too fast…way too fast. I grabbed a mango wine cooler for me and a beet for him before I wandered back into my room. Scourge had already set up the box of pizza on the coffee table that sat in front of the television. He was straightening the table when I walked in. He glanced at me before finishing his task. I smiled as I held out his beer to him. He took it as he returned the smile.

For most of the night, we watched horror movies and ate pizza in silence. I'd lean my head on his shoulder from time to time and his arm eventually wrapped around my shoulders. However, he never attempted to kiss me or touch me. While I shouldn't have been surprised since he told me his intentions weren't like that, a part of me still felt as though he may have at least tried something. But he didn't. Instead, he was the perfect gentlemen.

Around one o' clock, I began to get tired. I was constantly yawning, and stretching. Scourge caught on to my movements, his arm tightening around me. He didn't speak as he pulled me into his lap and picked me up bridal style. He lay me down in my bed, before gently kissing my forehead. He took a small step away from me, but I grabbed his hand. "Will you stay," I asked him as I looked up at him from under my eyelashes. He hesitated, but nodded.

"Just let me put your room back together." I released his hand and curled into my pillow. I watched him push the coffee table back into the corner and take the pizza box out into the kitchen. When he came back in, he kicked off his shoes and crawled into bed next to me. He turned onto his side to stare down at me, his hand coming up to rub my cheek. I smiled at him as I leaned into his touch. He offered me a tiny smile as he rubbed back some strands of my hair. "You should sleep," he murmured.

"Will you still be here when I wake up," I asked. His eyes softened at my question, the moonlight's glare turning them into sparkling gems. I slowly raised my hand to touch his sharp jaw. I heard his breath tense up at my touch. He brought his hand up to grab mine and pull it away from his face.

"I'm not sure," he admitted. "I don't want to scare your sister."

"Trust me, I've seen enough of her suitors walking around in less gentlemen fashion; I'm sure she'll be alright." His smile dimmed as he looked away. I pulled my hand away as my stomach began to fuzz up. "It's alright if you don't want to stay. I'd understand."

"It's not that I don't want to, Rosy. It's just…" I waited for him to continue, but he seemed to be at a loss for words. I wasn't sure if he was trying to let me down gently or if his reason was something he'd rather not talk about. I wanted to understand, but I couldn't stop my stomach from burying itself in the pit of rejection. I looked away from him and turned onto my back. "Hey," he murmured. "Don't do that…come here." He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me back against him with my face in his chest.

"What are your intentions…" I asked cautiously. "If you don't want sex from me, then what do you want? I don't have much more to offer."

"I want you," he said simply. "You're worth so much more than just sex…you just need a little nudge to help see that for yourself." He kissed my head. "Go to sleep now. I promise that I'll stay for as long I can." I obeyed his orders and drifted into a peaceful sleep in his strong arms.

The next few weeks flew by for me. I fell into the new routine of spending most of my work time with Scourge. Usually, he'd come to the lounge early to purchase me for the whole entire night. In those hours together, we'd play pool, drink alcohol, and talk. He got me out of my timid shell and embraced my quick tongue. Sometimes we'd sit out by the bar and make fun of the other customers. Other times, we'd go up to a room and spend alone time together. He would never inappropriately touch me or make a move on me when we were alone. While I'd enjoyed that factor about him at first, it began to become an annoyance to me. I began to long for him to touch me, kiss me, and cherish me for all that I was.

However, sometimes another man would beat Scourge in the race to buy me. Nights like those weren't my favorite. My forced actions made me feel even worse due to the fact that I really didn't want to be groped or have intercourse with a man who wasn't Scourge. I felt my disgusted emotions from my first sexual assault come over me each time a man who wasn't Scourge took advantage of me. I tried to fight back my feelings and keep my composure once the acts were done. I had to act as if the technical rapes weren't bothering me. All of the girls had to. Boss and Sonic would not tolerate having emotional girls crying because a man touched them. We were taught to suck it up and cry on our own time. Yet, the emotions began to be too much for me. A lot of my regulars were upset with me for being bought so quickly, so they took me without mercy and sometimes after a good beating with the sex whips. They would yell at me about how they were my customers, how they had needs, and how I was there to serve them – not hang around a stupid kid who was probably gay for not taking me whenever he had me. Whenever they'd get done, I'd get dressed feeling more degraded than I already was. On those days, I'd usually avoid Scourge and head home alone. One night, he actually caught up with me.

"Rosy," he yelled as I walked down the dark street in my stilettos. "Rosy wait!" I ignored him as I kept walking, my tears beginning to fall from my face. About an hour before, I'd gotten done with one of my regulars who'd had the audacity to bring his friends along for the fun. I'd been with groups before, but none of them had been anything like the cruel men. They weren't amicable or joking or light-heartedly drunk. They were cruel, merciless, and hell-bent on making sure I knew how much of a whore I was. They beat on me, forced me to do acts I wouldn't have done by free will, and sometimes they didn't wait to take turns. My sister had spent an hour patching up my wounds. Sonic wasn't happy with my treatment either. He kicked the guys out, and had a few of his men give them a good beating. The policy in the lounge was that they could use BDSM on us only if we weren't damaged by it. What they'd done to me wasn't anywhere near BDSM – it was an act of cruelty and abuse. Sonic promised to take me to the doctor the next day to get checked out and to make sure they hadn't caused any real damage to my private areas. He even apologized to me, though I assumed that was just an act for my sister. I did believe he would take me to the doctor, but that's because I was too valuable to the company to toss aside.

"Rosy," Scourge said as he grabbed my arm. He yanked me roughly so that I'd turn to face him. His mouth was open to speak, but no words came out as he looked over my bruised face. His eyes darkened as his mouth pulled into a deep frown. "What happened," he asked as he raised a hand to caress my cheek. "Who did this to you?"

"I don't wanna talk about it," I told him. "I just wanna go home, okay?" I tried to walk away, but he kept a good hold on my arm. "You can walk me home," I told him before he could ask. "Let's just go, okay?" His frown deepened, but he didn't say anything more. He walked with me to my complex and followed me up into the apartment. "I'm gonna take a bath," I told him. "There's food and stuff in the fridge if you want anything."

"I can run some bath water for you," he offered. "Do you wanna try to eat or drink something?"

"Not really."

"Well, you should. Come on." He led me into the bathroom. He had me sit down on the toilet before he began to run some hot water into the tub. "Do you have bath bombs or anything that'll help you relax?" I pointed to the closet door. He nodded in response. He retrieved one of the pink ones, and sniffed it. He crinkled his nose at the strong scent and I almost smiled. He set the sphere in my lap before he left the room. He quickly returned with a bottle of wine and some wine glasses. He poured some of the wine into a glass and handed it to me.

"Thanks," I told him before I took a sip. I nearly downed two glasses before my tub was even filled. I was so ready to just sleep the rest of the night away and try to forget what was done to me. I undressed in front of Scourge, looking over my shoulder at him a few times to see that his eyes were examining my bruised body carefully. I saw his lips twitch, but they didn't pull up into a lusty smirk. He seemed to be too concerned with my bruises.

I dropped the bath bomb into the tub after I got in. The water fizzled up into pink bubbles as the strong scent of strawberries began to fill the room. I got comfortable as Scourge watched me, his eyes trained on my face. I forced a smile at him as I leaned into the hot water. Scourge let me relax and wash up for a half hour before he had me get dressed in some comfortable pajamas. I tried to prolong my tears, but they began to fall the second I lay down in my bed. I buried my face into my pillow to try to hide my sobs, but I could tell from Scourge's abrupt absence of footsteps that he could hear me. "Don't…don't do that," I heard him murmur. I heard his footsteps come towards me. He lay his hand on my back, rubbing softly. "Don't cry…"

"I can't help it," I choked out. I picked my head up and turned onto my side to look up at him. His eyes were gentle as his hand immediately came up to wipe my tears away. "These past few weeks have been hell for me. Whenever one of those sickos buy me before you can they…they hurt me so badly. They're so angry that I'm trying to be…committed to one person. They don't see me as anything more than a stupid whore; in their eyes I'm just someone who exists to please them. I'm not an actual person. I haven't been an actual person for the past eight years. I've just been this…this toy – this sex toy. I don't wanna be. I never wanted to be…"

"I know," Scourge murmured. "I know." I grabbed his wrist, holding his hand to my face.

"You don't…you don't see me as just a whore, do you?"

"Of course not." He pulled his hand away to reposition himself against my headboard. He lifted me up into his lap and cradled my head in his chest. "You're not a whore in my eyes, Rosalinda."

"Then what am I?"

"A beautiful girl with a big brain and a smart mouth." I smiled as I looked up at him.

"You think I'm beautiful?"

"Yes," he answered simply. "You are beautiful, Rosy, inside and out." He kissed my forehead. "You don't deserve any of this." He squeezed me tighter. "What if…what if I told you that I could get you out of there…I could help you make a new life for yourself?"

"I'd call you crazy," I told him as my smile began to fall. "I can't…I can't just disappear into the night."

"Why not?"

"Because my sister…she needs me."

"She already seems to be taken care of." I frowned at the thought of her relationship with Sonic. "Run away with me, Rosy. I can make you happy. I can give you a life that this place can't. We can explore the world, get married, raise a family…"

"Scourge, I…we…what if it doesn't work out? We've only known each other barely two months."

"It will work out," he promised. Before I could question his statement, he took ahold of my chin and spoke again. "It will work because I'm in love with you, Rosy. I'm in love with your mind, your spirit…your soul. You're so beautiful in all that you are. You deserve more than this terrible life. You deserve all that a queen deserves."

"You…you're in love with me?" The words were foreign on my lips. No one had ever told me that they loved me or even deeply cared about me before. I had begun to think that no one ever would. But then again, no one had ever had the patience to open me up like he did. All we'd ever done was talk. We'd never had sex or made out or any of that. He was more interested in my mind than he was my body…and I loved him for that. I may not have known what love was, but I did know that I did have feelings for him. I always wanted to touch him and kiss him even though we'd never gotten to that step. I wanted him for all he was, the same way that men longed for me. But, I wanted his mind as well. I wanted long conversations after lusty acts, playful sunny mornings with breakfast in bed…all with him by my side.

"Yes." I smiled. "I can wait for you to think about my offer, but just be considerate that I don't have much time. My business ventures here are starting to end…I'll have to heading home soon, and I don't want to go without you."

"I'll think about it." He nodded as he kissed my forehead. I sat up onto my knees to straddle him, pushing my torso against his. His hands gripped my waist, stopping my movement from getting any closer. I caressed his face with my hands, tracing his small scars and short stubble. "I want to kiss you," I whispered. "Is it okay if I…" His lips twitched into a smile as one of his hands cupped my face and brought me down onto his lips.

His kisses were soft, tender. He was gentle as his lips molded mine. My stomach was erupting into a fiery rage as he kissed me, my contained lust for this moment coming full circle. I flushed my body with his, pushing him back against my headboard. My hands tangled in his hair as his made a fist in my own while the other gripped my hip tightly. I wanted to whimper from the pains since I was still sore, but I didn't want him to stop kissing me. His tongue was warm against my lips as he quietly requested entrance. I gave in to his skilled tongue, and it immediately made a beeline for contact with mine. I let out a soft moan as our kisses deepened. My hands fell from his shirt, and began to pull nimbly at the collar of his shirt. My fingers peeked under his shirt, tracing his collar bone.

He pulled out of the kiss at my touch on his skin. I opened my mouth to protest, but he spoke before I could. "Not tonight," he said simply. "I want you…I really do, but not tonight…not when you're hurt and vulnerable." He pecked my lips before repositioning us into a spooning position. "Go on to sleep now," he whispered in my ear. I squeezed his hand as I closed my eyes and drifted into a deep sleep.

Scourge was gone when I awoke the next morning – or afternoon I should say. It was around two o' clock by the time I got the will power to open my eyes. My body felt worse than it did the day before. I didn't want to move when Amy came in to help me get dressed so that Sonic could take me to the doctors. She helped me get out of bed and into a comfortable pair of sweatpants and hoodie. Sonic was waiting for us in our living room when we finally emerged from my bedroom. He offered us both a smile before leading us out the door.

The doctor's trip went well, I thought. Nothing was wrong with me, but my doctor did recommend that I stayed away from sexual intercourse for a while. He recommended that I take a few days off from work to relax and focus on recovering. Sonic didn't seem too happy with his statements, but promised that he'd make sure I would rest for a little while. I highly doubted that, but Amy told me to just give it a chance and see how it went. She stayed home with me for the rest of the day. We watched movies, painted each other's nails, and talked – mostly about boys.

"So, what's up with you and that tattooed hottie at work," she asked as she carefully painted my toes a bright white. I blushed at the thought of Scourge and the kiss we'd shared the night before. "You can't tell me nothing's going on because obviously something is going on. He tries to buy you every night, sleeps in your bed, and then sneaks out at the crack of dawn. Is he your new boyfriend or something?"

"I wouldn't say boyfriend. He's just…a friend, I guess."

"A friend with benefits?"

"I wish." She giggled. "We're honestly just friends. He's never even kissed me before last night."

"You sure he's not gay?" I let out a laugh.

"I'm pretty sure. What's up with you and Sonic? Is the sex good?"

"Extremely," she said with a smile. "But, its more than just sex, Rosy. He takes me out on dates, and we don't always have sex when I go over to his apartment. Sometimes we'll just watch movies, play video games, and talk about the life we could have if…"

"If you guys weren't in this business?"

"Yea… I don't know…he makes me feel like we are gonna get out of here someday. I mean, he knows that he will once he's done with his master's degree, but he always talks about taking me with him. He does it so much that I can't help but to wonder if he actually means it. What if he does…take me with him?"

"Then you should go," I told her. "Any opportunity to get out of here is a better option than staying here. Even if things don't work out, at least you don't have to worry about having consequences. You'll be free…"

"But I couldn't leave you here," Amy said as she shook her head. "I would never just leave you behind just so that I could be free. If he's getting me out, then he's getting both of us out. We're a package deal remember?" I smiled at my sister.

"Yea…yea we are."

The next few days went by quietly from me. I mostly laid around the house and texted Scourge. He was busy during the day, but he'd come over at night so that we could spend time together. I'd always drag him into my bedroom and make out with him after we'd watched a movie or ate dinner. He seemed happy at my eagerness to be so close to him, though I could somehow sense his irritable mood whenever he'd touch one of my bruises. He would always kiss them when I'd flinch from the pain, but his eyes would fade from their gentle state into one of a stony anger. I tried to ignore it, but sometimes I couldn't. When his grasp became too tight and his kisses possessive of my mouth, I wondered how much my situation bothered him. I'd been assaulted by multiple men in the past month and he could do nothing about it. I know if I were in his position, I'd be pretty hot too. However, I wished that he could see that I was perfectly fine when he was around me. I wanted him to feel the same happiness that I did when we were together. I didn't want him to be angry…not when he didn't have to be.

When I returned to work, Sonic strictly put me on bartender duty until further notice. I didn't mind my new post at all. Most men didn't usually stay near the bar, so I spent most of the time talking to Scourge who would sit and drink with me until I got off of work. Then he'd walk me home and depending on his plans he'd stay the night. We went on like this for another two weeks or so before he finally made his move on me.

It was a slow Wednesday night at the lounge, and I was sitting behind the bar reading a novel when Scourge's voice broke me out of my trance. "Hey you," he said, causing me to look up. I immediately smiled at him, taking in his beautiful eyes. They were glazed over with lust, sparkling with bad intentions. His mouth was pulled up into a smirk, his tongue flicking out to lick them as he looked me over. I was wearing a red bralette and black leather jacket with a pair of my favorite black ripped jeans. My hair looked more wild than usual since my sister had attempted to curl it earlier that day. I would admit that my attire with the addition of my sexy smoky eye may have made me look more appealing, but I didn't think I had to dress like this to get Scourge's attention. "You look…amazing," he purred. I blushed as I tugged at the sleeves of my jacket.

"Thanks. You don't look half bad yourself…I guess."

"You guess?"

"Yea," I said with a giggle. He tilted his head.

"What can I do to change that?"

"I'm sure you'll figure something out." I shot him a flirty smile before walking off to ask one of the customers if he was doing alright. His eyes stayed trained on me as I made my way around the bar to make sure that the customers were satisfied with their drinks. When I finally got back to him, I poured him a glass of scotch. "On the house," I told him.

"Thank you," he said as he took a sip. "Are you getting off at regular time tonight?"

"No. I'm actually leaving around twelve tonight because I've been here all day. Amy convinced Sonic into pitying me for working all day."

"Do you have any plans for when you get off?" I raised an eyebrow as I tried to restrain my smile from widening. I shook my head. "Well, I was wondering if I could take you up to one of those rooms and give you what I know you've been wanting." He took another sip of his scotch. "I would suggest taking you back to your room in your apartment, but I can't wait that long."

"Hmm, why the sudden change in pace? You were so patient the other night."

"Maybe my patience has run out." I bit my lip to hide my smile. "It's taking everything in me not to pin you down right on this bar."

"Hmm." I blushed deeper. His smirk grew into a grin. I felt my stomach erupt into butterflies under his gaze. The butterflies traveled a bit lower to my pelvis, causing me to fidget. I'd never really had a real intercourse with someone before… I'd never had the feelings of wanting to have sex with someone so badly. All I'd ever felt was the reluctance to act as if I was enjoying what was going on. I'd never actually liked having sex. I wondered if I would like it…with him.

"Rosalinda," I heard Sonic yell. I glanced in the direction his voice came from to see that he was motioning for me to come over. I shot an apologetic smile to Scourge before walking over to Sonic. He was leaning against the bar, his arms folded across his chest. His eyes were on Scourge, his mouth pulled into a soft frown.

"What's wrong," I asked.

"You've been spending an awful lot of time with that guy over there. Is there something you wanna tell me?"

"You've been sleeping with my sister for an awful lot of time. Is there something you wanna tell me?" Sonic clenched his jaw.

"I asked you a fucking question."

"So did I. Ladies first."

"Fucking… I like Amy, alright? Now you answer mine."

"I like him. He's the only gentlemen in this hell hole." Sonic rolled his eyes. "Can I clock off early…? I've been here since the crack of dawn, and I'll pay to rent out one of the rooms." Sonic raised his eyebrows.

"Did you just ask me to leave early so that you can fuck your little boy toy over there?"

"Yea. Yes or no?"

"I fucking hate you," he said. He shook his head. "You're lucky you're Amy's sister."

"Or else what?"

"Or else I would've socked you in your mouth by now. Room five. Now get out my face before I change my mind." He dug in his pocket to pull out a key and hand it to me. I smiled before I skipped back over to Scourge. He raised an eyebrow at me, but I didn't give him the chance to speak. I hopped over the bar and dragged him upstairs.

"Where are we going," he asked. "I thought you got off at twelve."

"My sister's sleeping with our boss so, he gave me the rest of the night off." Scourge smirked. I unlocked the door to our designated room and walked inside. Almost immediately, Scourge grabbed me and slammed my back up against the closed door. Our lips connected as his hands grabbed my thighs to hoist me up onto him. That night, he completely devoured me in a way that no other man had. His lips and tongue explored almost every part of my body, lingering on my chest and core. He repeatedly bit and sucked on my neck as his hands groped at my curves. After he'd gotten all my clothes off, he tied up my wrists to the bed post. I'd whimpered in protest since I wanted to touch him, but he shut me up with wet kisses. I was helpless as he relentlessly took everything that he wanted. He took me with his tongue, with his hands, and with his own core. We both orgasmed multiple times as he thrust into me. He made me yell out his name and call him "Papi". Once he'd even told me to tell him that I was his…only his. I obeyed under the euphoric feeling of his thrusts though I felt myself mentally confining to that statement. I wanted to be his…only his. He made me feel special, wanted – _loved_.

After we were finally finished, he helped me get dressed and carried me all the way to my apartment complex. My pelvis was throbbing in a pain that I didn't mind. He had made me feel like I was on cloud nine the entire time he was taking me. I'd never felt that way before…and I couldn't wait to feel it again. I longed for him to do more to me that night, but I fell asleep not even a couple minutes after we lay down in my bed. He wasn't there when I woke up the next morning, but I was expecting that. What I wasn't expecting was his disappearance from the face of my world for the next two weeks. He didn't text me or call me or show up to the lounge. He had completely vanished in my perspective. I'd tried reaching out to him multiple times, but he never answered or texted back. I had to admit that I was more than just hurt. I felt used, abandoned, and lonely. I had spent a majority of my time with him, so his absence really took a toll on me. I had no one to talk to. My sister was always with Sonic, and none of the other girls were all that friendly. He had been my only true friend and he was gone.

I didn't see him again until I bumped into him on a busy Friday night. I was heading back to the bar after delivering a drink to a customer at one of the pool tables when I walked straight into his chest. "I'm sorry," I said as I looked up at him. At first sight of his ice blue eyes, even under the dim lighting, my lips pulled up into a smile. "Hi," I said, my accent taking over my voice.

"Hey Rosy." He didn't return the smile. His eyes were stony as he stared down at me, his lips pulled into a tight line. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure. Is everything alright?"

"Yea." He took me by the arm and led me to the pool table where we'd first met. I shook out of his grasp as he ran a hand through his hair. "Look, I have to leave tomorrow and I need…I need a decision from you. Are you coming with me or are you staying in this shithole?"

"Oh…I…I don't know. I honestly forgot about your short stay. Um…I'm not prepared to leave. All my things are in my apartment and my money…"

"We can figure all that out later," he said with a shrug. "I just need to know." I opened my mouth to speak – to tell him that I couldn't leave my sister behind, but I didn't have time before my name was called from across the room. I turned around to see that Sonic was waving me over, one of my nicer regulars standing next to him. I took a step towards them, but Scourge immediately grabbed my arm. He pulled me around to face him. His eyes were livid now, his mouth turning into a scowl. "You don't have go to him, Rosy. If you tell me you'll come with me, then we can leave right now. You can put this whole life behind you."

"Scourge, I can't…I can't leave Amy here. I'm sorry. I love you…I think, and I want to be with you, but my sister needs me. I can't leave her here. I'm sorry." I shook out of his grasp once more before hurrying over to Sonic and my regular. I forced a smile on my face as I approached them. Sonic's eyes were trained behind me, his green eyes squinted slightly. "You okay," I asked him. He didn't have time to respond before we heard a gunshot ring out. I didn't see the bullet fly past me, but I did see it hit my regular right in the head. I didn't hear myself scream, but I did feel Alex push me down onto the ground. More gunshots rang out as the screams in the lounge multiplied. My eyes widened as Sonic pushed me towards the bar.

"Go find your sister, then get the hell out of here. Hear me?" He told me.

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm gonna get some help. Now go, dammit!" I nodded my head before throwing myself into the crowds of people running. My eyes continually darted around, searching for my sister's mane of pink hair. My heart beat faster as I couldn't find sight of it anywhere. I almost passed out from fear until I heard her yell out my name. She was peeking out from under the bar, her emerald eyes wide with tears. I quickly hopped over the bar and crawled to my sister's side. She was sobbing hysterically, her arms holding out towards me like they did when she was ten years old. I took her into my arms, squeezing her tightly.

"Shh, Amy. Calm down; we have to get out of here. We have to get out of here now." I tried to get her to stand up, but a bullet struck one of the liquor bottles above us, sending glass everywhere. I sat my sister back down as I shielded her body with mine from the glass. I gritted my teeth as some of them scratched me. My sister began to sob harder, her arms tightening around me. "Shh," I told her. The gunshots began to stop as the lounge began to quiet. The screams had silenced, leaving only the soft music to play. I held onto my sister as one last gunshot shot the music off. I bit my lip as I listened intently to the soft footsteps making their way over to the bar.

Scourge appeared at the small doorway to lead into the bar, his ice blue eyes even more livid than before. I pulled my sister closer to me as his eyes fell on us. He knocked the doorknob off of the door with his gun before making his way into our area. I let go of my sister, positioning myself in front of her. My eyes went down to the silver gun in his hands, my stomach dropping into the floor. He raised his gun above my head, towards my sister. "No," I yelled. "Please no." He pulled the trigger, the sound ringing out. My sister and I both screamed. I glanced behind me to see that he had shot the one other girl who was hiding behind the bar with us. There were a few other behind her, all of whom also received a bullet in the head or throat. I watched them all drop with tears in my eyes. "Jesus Christ," I whispered as I looked back at Scourge. He was refilling his gun, his hard eyes trained on me. "Scourge, please…please don't do this. You're in love with me, remember? You love me. You don't wanna hurt me. You don't wanna hurt Amy either. We won't say anything, we swear. Just please…please don't do this." He clicked off the security latch on his gun. "I'll do anything you want if you just don't…please don't hurt my sister."

"Come here," he told me simply.

"Rosy, don't," Amy whispered in my ear. "You can't go with him. He's obviously crazy… Besides you can't leave me here. We're a package deal remember?" He pointed his gun at us.

"You can either come here or I'll kill both of you…it's all up to you, Rosalinda." Scourge said.

"I can't let you die," I whispered to my sister as I unwrapped her arms from my waist. "You have to be good, okay? You have to be strong. No more crying, okay?" I kissed her cheek as my tears continued to fall. "I love you." I slowly stood up, struggling against Amy's grabs at me. "Promise you won't hurt her," I asked Scourge. He lowered his gun.

"Cross my heart." I slowly walked towards him. My heart was beating out of my chest, and my breaths were shaky. I'd never been so afraid in my life. I didn't know what he was going to do with me. For all I knew, he was going to kill me later without a second thought. But I did know that I had to protect my sister. Her safety was more important than mine…it always was. Scourge wrapped his arm around my waist. "Good girl," he said simply. He glanced at my sister. "Let's go." He dragged me out of the club, stepping over the dead bodies that were lying on the floor. I tried to keep my eyes off the bodies, more tears filling in my eyes. He stuffed me into a black Chevrolet in the parking lot and drove off to a small hotel. He led me up into his room, a one bedroom suite with a living and kitchen area. He left me in the bedroom while he went into the bathroom. I could hear the shower water running as I lay down on the bed and sobbed. I didn't remember falling asleep, but I did remember waking up with my wrists tied to the bed post and the sun shining in my face. I lay there for a few hours, praying to God for the first time in a while. I prayed for my sister's safety and for Sonic's safety. He needed to take care of her since I wasn't there. I also prayed for my own safety. I hadn't thought Scourge would do something like this. He had always seemed so laid back and calm. I never thought that he had an itch for mass murdering. Then again, there was probably so much I didn't know about him.

When he returned, I curled up against the bed post. He was holding some bags and was whistling as if he didn't have a care in the world. His casual stance frightened me as I watched him put all of the bags down onto the floor. He looked at me, his eyes back in their gentle state. "Good afternoon," he told me. "I'm sorry about last night… I didn't mean for it to get so out of hand…" He shrugged. "You'll get used to it, though. I've done worse."

"What…what the hell are you talking about? Who the hell are you? What do you want?"

"I want you," he said simply. "I never lied to you about anything. I'm Scourge…you're Rosalinda and we're in love."

"No…no you're in love with me because you're a fucking psychopath!"

"Now, now, I don't take well to that word. Either you're going to be nice to me, or we're going to have a problem."

"Fuck you!" He rolled his eyes.

"I've really been trying to be nice to you…" He dug into one of the bags and pulled out a syringe. He took the protective cap off of it and plucked it. My eyes widened as I began to shiver. "But if you're not going to respect me, then I have no choice but to do things my way."

"No, no, I'll be good. I promise I'll be good." He grabbed my ankle and pulled me down so that I was laying on my back.

"Shh, Rosy. You're just going to feel a little prick." He pinned my shoulder with his hand as he stuck me with the needle in my arm. I let out a soft whimper as he injected the clear liquid into my vein. He pecked a kiss at my lips as my eyes fluttered.

"Why…why are you doing this," I asked as my vision began to blur.

"Because I wanted you." He kissed my lips again. "And I always get what I want."

 **Please review! I've never written in this domain before so I really wanna know what you guys think.**


	3. Side to Side

**Some of these present chapters are gonna be a little shorter than the past ones since there's less to explain. However, I do hope you still enjoy them!**

 **All Characters belong to Sega/Archie except my OCs.  
**

 _Side to Side  
_

 _July 10_ _th_ _2016_

"Dr. Eisenhower? Dr. Eisenhower, can you hear me," a foreign male voice slowly brought the doctor out of the darkness that he'd been consumed in. He grimaced as he felt a sharp pain in his chest. He let out a soft groan in response to the male's voice. "He's waking up," the voice said, the sound directed elsewhere. The doctor could hear footsteps approaching him. He forced his eyes to open, immediately meeting a bright light over him. He squinted his eyes and weakly raised a hand to cover them.

"Dr. Eisenhower," a deep voice called to him. The doctor turned his head to where the voice came from to see his friend, Detective Jones standing over him. The detective was a lean man with hazel eyes, brown stubble, and a never changing hard expression. The two had been friends since childhood, always looking out for each other. Even then, the doctor could see the concern in the detective's hard eyes. "Are you alright," he asked.

"Yea," the doctor croaked out. "Son of a bitch shot me."

"Be lucky the wound wasn't fatal." The detective pulled up a chair to sit down next to the doctor's bed. "That bastard killed too many guards to count." He rubbed a hand on his face. "I don't even know how he managed to get out of his cell."

"I'm sure he used his manipulation and violence to get his way out of the confinement cell we put him in." The doctor grimaced as he shifted in his bed. "The girl…Rosalinda…any word on her?"

"None. It's like the story that Sonic Marrioti gave us. There's a shooting, a mass panic, and just like that they're gone." The detective sighed. "The Lord only knows how much time we have before they find their next victim."

"What makes you assume they're going to kill again so soon? Remember that Mr. Delgado did take a break after he'd captured Rosalinda. While it may have been to gain her trust, it was still a break."

"And that break ensued in an itch he wouldn't satisfy until seven years later when we finally caught him. We can't risk not tracking them down. The faster we catch them, the faster we can put them to rest. I told the prosecutor we should've pushed up their trial dates."

"You know we needed the time to examine their minds."

"Lucas, you were the girl's fifth psychiatrist within the past two months. The other four made the conclusion that she's lost her mind; that should've been enough to send her off to trial with the death penalty over her head. We should've just killed Scourge on our own time. There's more than enough information that just shows plain and clear that he's insane." The doctor frowned as he recalled the small prisoner in front of him. Her tears and the raw emotion in her eyes appeared before him, and he felt his slight pity for her rise.

"I don't think she's crazy," the doctor admitted. His friend raised an eyebrow at him. "She's been a victim of abuse since she was thirteen years old. I'm not giving her an excuse or a pass for killing all of those people, but she was easy to manipulate for Mr. Delgado. She didn't have much will left to break down. It seemed as though it was easy for him to get to her. He used his so called care for her to help her justify her reasons for following him. She knows what she's doing, but she's doing it because she thinks she needs to be loved – by him specifically."

"So what are you saying," the detective asked. "That we shouldn't send her right to Hell because she's had a bad life and doesn't know right from wrong?"

"I'm saying that she deserves rehabilitation. The judge can lock her away for the rest of her life if he wants, but she doesn't deserve to die. Within that lifetime of years, maybe I can be her therapist…help her get her mind back on track." The detective's mouth pulled up into a scowl.

"You like her, don't you?"

"What? No! I just-"

"It's because she has some humanity, right?" The detective said. "She has a sob story. She has some emotion left in her…some spirit, right? I've talked to her before; I know what you see in her. But Luke, you've gotta understand that she may be faking that humanity. She may be just as crazy as Scourge is."

"But what if she's not, Anthony? What if she's…she's just a victim in all this mess?"

"When we bring them back to their cells where they belong, then maybe you can prove that. Until then, you have to focus on getting better while I track them down."

"You're not doing it alone. I'm helping you."

"No you're not. You just got a bullet taken out of your chest. I'll have my team with me, I'll be fine."

"No, I want to help. She tried to spare my life…it's the least I could do to try to spare hers." The detective raised his eyebrows.

"What are you saying…? You don't…you don't think he's going to hurt her…do you?"

"I don't know. She seemed…she seemed afraid of him. I don't think their relationship was what we all thought it was. If she was afraid to go back with him, then there's plenty of possibilities as to what he was going to do with her."

"What if he kills her?" The detective asks slowly. "What if that's what she's afraid of?"

"But why would he hurt her? I don't…I still don't understand. She complied with almost everything he wanted her to do. He wouldn't…" The doctor trailed off as his conversation with Rosalinda rang in his mind. She mentioned that he would only hit her when she didn't do something he asked. She said that she'd felt like he was punishing her like a child who didn't do her chores. He recalled the scars on her arms. They hadn't looked too old…maybe a little over a year. What was he doing to her?

"Their last kill," the detective said suddenly. "I always thought it was a little fishy that we caught them so easily that time." The doctor raised his eyebrows.

"What are you talking about?"

"Their last kill. They were stalking a pimp at his nightclub. Rosalinda was pretending to be a hooker and Scourge was posing as a customer for the pimp. They got him alone in his club and slaughtered him and everyone in it. But we caught them right as they were fleeing. It was if…as if someone had planned it that way."

"So you think…you think Rosalinda made a mistake in their timing?"

"I think she stalled him…giving the police time to get to the scene after the shootings began. We'd caught them as they were arguing. They were standing in a corner next to the building, and he was yelling at her. He'd hit her a few times, before we revealed ourselves and arrested both of them." The detective's eyes wandered around the room as his mouth pulled into a deeper frown. "She definitely did something to piss him off."

"Do you think that something could've caused him to seriously consider killing her?"

"I don't know. You said it yourself: psychopaths are unpredictable in their actions, but one thing is for sure…the result is never going to end well."

 **Please review! Dying to know what you guys think!**


	4. Be Alright

**I'm the literal worst because I can never stick with the format I want for this story. I've been switching it around so much, which is why this update took so long. Forgive me!**

 _Be Alright_

 _July 15_ _th_ _2016_

"Shh pretty girl," the young mother cooed to the restless infant in her arms. The baby was fussing as she fidgeted around in her mother's arms. "Everything's okay. Mommy's here now." She began bouncing the baby in her arms in another attempt to get her to calm down. The door creaked open behind her as her husband appeared in the doorway. She turned to look at him and smiled. "Do you wanna go to daddy," she asked the infant. The small child squealed softly as she held her small hands out to the man in the doorway. Her father smiled as he walked in and took the baby into his arms. He bounced her on his hip and kissed her head. Her mother smiled at the sight before slowly walking out of the room. She wandered back into the living room where she and her husband had been watching the news before their baby's wails sounded through the house. Reluctantly, she pressed rewind to play back the reporter's words over again.

"It has been confirmed by state officials that serial killers Scourge Delgado and Rosalinda have escaped from California State Prison. Although it is still unclear how exactly they escaped, police have confirmed that there were over thirty officers whose bodies were found in the hallways of the prison. Their whereabouts as of right now is still a mystery, so we advise all to be aware of your surroundings and your company."

The young mother tuned out the reporter's words of the killer's history and deeds as their mug shots appeared on the screen. The mother felt her stomach tighten as she examined the woman's picture. She was giving the camera a toothy smile, her wide eyes filled with mischief and her pink hair a beautiful mane on her head. The mother wished she could say that she knew who this woman was, but she didn't. The woman on the screen was not the woman who she'd deemed her big sister. The sister she remembered was headstrong, independent, loving, and smart. The woman on the screen resembled none of that. She looked as crazy as the newspapers and the television networks portrayed her to be. The mother knew that nothing good was going to happen to her sister when that blonde bastard took her away, but she didn't think it was going to end like this. Somehow, she'd prepared herself to hear about the police finding her sister's dead body or never hearing about her at all. She'd always thought her sister would just vanish into oblivion the same way their parents did. She never once thought she could become something so evil.

The television flicked off before her eyes, causing the mother to snap out of her thoughts. "You shouldn't watch that," her husband's voice boomed from behind her. She felt his hands on her shoulders, squeezing softly. His fingers lowered onto her shoulder blades to massage them softly.

"I just don't understand," she murmured. "She was so rational and headstrong and independent." Tears began to prick at her eyes. "She was so strong." Her husband kissed her head.

"I know, Amy." She shook her head.

"They'll kill her if they catch them. They'll kill both of them."

"You say that as if they have a chance of not getting caught."

"They got away with it for seven years, why not add another few?" Her husband sighed as he walked around the couch to sit next to her. He rubbed her thigh and kissed her cheek.

"We should go to bed. It's been a long week." The mother, Amy, nodded. Her husband helped her up and led her into their bedroom. Amy curled up into her husband's chest, but found it hard to sleep. All she could think about was the police visits and her decision to testify in her sister's favor. She'd always had faith in her sister's character. She didn't believe for a second that Gabrielle was a monster. She believed her accomplice was, but not Rosy herself. Amy had witnessed the raw fear in her sister's eyes when she'd put herself in front of her to protect her from the gun's mouth. The man had forced her to come with him. She didn't want to go. She only went to protect her sister. Amy knew deep down inside that's who Rosy really was. She did what she had to do to keep both her and her sister safe. Amy could only believe that she was only doing what she did to protect her own life from the man who'd taken her away.

Eventually Amy did find a comforting sleep, though it didn't last long. She was taken out of her sleep by the loud buzzing of her cell phone on her nightstand. She checked the time to see that it was a little after noon. Her husband had gone off to work already, and he probably dropped their baby girl off at daycare. Amy was given the week off by her job. Her boss understood the emotional and mental distress she may have been going through and just asked for her to relax. She grabbed her phone and answered without looking at the caller ID. "Hello," she answered wearily, her soft accent taking over her voice.

"Hi," a familiar voice replied from the other end. "I'm calling for Amy Marrioti."

"Rosy," Amy asked as she recognized the similar accent. "Rosy is that you?"

"Yea," the voice on the other end said with a soft sigh of relief. "It's me."

"Thank God. Where are you? Are you okay? Did you get away from that son of a bitch yet?"

"No." Amy heard some movement in the background. "Look, I can't talk for long. He doesn't know I'm on the phone…"

"Gabby, you have to get out of there."

"I've tried. Jesus, Amy, I've tried so many times." Rosy sighed. "I know I shouldn't be telling you this or even asking you of this, but I'm in your town and I want to see you."

"I wanna see you too, Rosy. But the police are everywhere – and I mean _everywhere."_

"I know," she said. "But I have to get out of here – even if it's for an hour." There was movement again. "Can you meet me in say twenty minutes at Vex's Café? It's close enough to here that I can sneak out and be back before he notices."

"Yea. Yea, of course."

"Thanks." With that, she hung up. Amy didn't think as she got out the bed and cleaned up. She should've had doubts that her sister was tricking her into coming and then killing her or hurting her, but she didn't. Instead, Amy was just relieved that her sister sounded like her old self. The sass might have been gone, but she sounded normal for the most part. She couldn't help but to also be a bit excited to see her sister. She hadn't heard from her in years, and she'd missed her.

Amy dressed in a simple outfit of shorts and a comfortable tee before heading out. She didn't live far from the café Rosy had asked for, so she got there quickly. The café was buzzing with conversation when she arrived. There were people talking and laughing around their small tables as the waitresses weaved through the crowds. Amy almost immediately spotted her sister's pink mane of hair all the way in the back. She was sitting at a table by herself, her wide green eyes examining the world out the window next to her. Amy almost ran up to her if it wasn't for the large bruise around her eye. Her stomach clenched as she walked closer to see that her sister also had a small cut on her lip and her cheekbone had a long scratch going across it. Rosy smiled at her sister and got up to hug her. Amy practically jumped into Rosy's arms, hugging her body tightly. She felt her sister wince under the pressure, but that only caused her to squeeze tighter. The familiar sense of her sister's arms around her made Amy's heart lighter. She had missed being held by her older sister.

When they pulled away, Amy took a closer look at her sister. She seemed to have lost a lot of weight – maybe too much. While her curves were still alive, her slenderness had taken an extreme form of skinny. Amy could practically see her bones poking out under her skin. Her skin was also a bit pale, blue veins showing themselves on her skin. Amy also took notice of the bandages on her wrists and the bruises around her neck. "Rosy," she murmured as she frowned.

"I don't want to talk about me right now," she said as she took a seat. Amy slowly sat down across from her. "I wanna talk about you. How are you? I heard you got married…to Sonic and that you guys have a little girl."

"Yea… Sonic and I got married three years ago." Amy took out her cellphone and fished for some of her wedding photos. She showed her sister who smiled at the sight.

"You looked beautiful," she commented. "And Sonic still looks like the biggest douche face on the planet." Amy laughed. She looked for a photo of her baby and showed it to Rosy. "Aww, she's so precious. She looked just like you when you were a baby. What's her name?"

"Stella Valentina Marrioti. Sonic wanted her name to be as Italian as possible because he's a dork."

"She's beautiful."

"Thank you."

"So, fill me in: what happened after…everything?"

"Sonic had to reinvent the whole lounge. He turned it into a normal night club rather than a whore house. We got a lot of business for a while before he finished his master's degree and started his own business. Boss wasn't happy about it, but he let Sonic be. He took me out here to Arizona and it's been history from there. I got to go to college and get a bachelor's degree in nursing. That's my career: I'm a nurse in a children's hospital."

"How is that?"

"It's difficult at times, but I enjoy it overall. The kids are so strong and optimistic. They're also so sweet. Whenever one of us gets sick, they'll make get well cards for us and have our boss send it to our houses. I know when I was on maternity leave, the kids made me cards telling me that they couldn't wait till I came back and congratulations of my baby."

"That is sweet."

"Yea…life has been good to me." Her eyes drifted back down to her sister's bandaged wrists. She let out a soft sigh as she reached out to grab her sister's hand. She squeezed softly. "Can we talk about you now?"

"What about me? Everything you need to know is all over the media." Rosy frowned. "I'm the real life Harley Quinn," she whispered. Amy squeezed her hand tighter. "I don't even know what we're going to do now. He's been worrying more about me than about our next move. I know he has a plan, but I just wish he'd act like it. I hate not knowing what's going to happen next."

"Why don't you go to the police? I mean, look at you: you have bruises everywhere. It's obvious that he's an abusive fuck who's been the mastermind behind all of this. You can't keep living like this. One day he's going to seriously hurt you, and I can't…I don't want you to die."

"Amy, I can't just go to the police. I'm not innocent, you know that. They're just going to throw me right back in prison where I probably belong. I've already heard that if our case ever goes to trial then they're going to hold the death penalty over both of our heads. Hell, they'll probably shoot me on sight if I walk into a police station."

"Well, you have to do something. You can't stay with him."

"I don't have any other choice, Amy. He's all I have."

"That's not true. You have me, Rosy."

"I'm not dragging you into this. You have a family to worry about. You have a good job, a good marriage, and a beautiful baby. You can't screw that all up just for me. I would never ask you to."

"So, what are you going to do? You can't stay with that psychopath."

"Rosy, I have to. I'll be fine. He'll work something out and we'll be fine. Okay?"

"You know I can't believe that."

"I know," she murmured. "But can you try?"

"I don't know," Amy admitted. Rosy squeezed her hand as her eyes went back to the outside world.

"I should go soon. Scourge doesn't know I left."

"How long will you be here?"

"Not long," Rosy said simply as she got up. She smiled down at her younger sister. "It was nice seeing you, Amy." She tried to walk away, but her sister stood in her way. She didn't speak as Amy grabbed her into another tight hug. Once again she winced from the pain, though her sister didn't seem to notice. She offered Amy a smile one last time before darting out of the shop. Her heart was heavy from the short reunion, but she knew she had to get back. She'd barely got out the door when she left. Scourge was keeping a close eye on her ever since they'd gotten out. She'd lost his trust after their last kill. It had been an accident, but she got hung up with one of the customers at the club. He was kind to her, and she wanted to spare his life. Scourge wasn't hearing that so he killed him and then beat her before the cops showed up. She hadn't meant to take so long in trying to convince Scourge, but there was also his rage at the fact that she'd slept with the customer. She hadn't meant to. He was just so kind…and kindness was not something she'd experienced in years. While she was in love with all Scourge was, he was not at all nice to her. She'd grown used to it, but the kindness of others had always been her weakness.

She quickly walked back to the small apartment complex that she and Scourge had found to hide out in for a while. Some of the drunken men standing outside catcalled at her, but she ignored them. She tried to creep quietly into their apartment, but she was met with a cold slap as soon as both of her feet were crossed through the doorway. She heard the door slam behind her before a hand was around her neck and her back was against the door. "No, no, I have something you might want," she said before he could hit her. His ice blue eyes were livid, his mouth curled into a scowl. His eyebrow twitched upwards as his grip around her neck loosened. She pried his fingers from around her neck before digging into her purse. She pulled out a few documents and handed them to him. He snatched them from her before looking down at them.

"What the hell is this," he asked. She quickly ran to her refuge in the bedroom while he was distracted. She closed and locked the door just as he screamed at her. "You fucking bitch!" She backed away from the door as he began to bang on it. "Open this motherfucking door!" The café that Rosy had invited her sister to had computers in it, so she managed to type and print a couple of fake documents of insults towards her lover so that she'd have time to get away from his rage. However, her plan seemed to have made him angrier. She expected that, but his hefty hits were about to break the door. Rosy retreated into the bathroom just as she heard the door crack open. She closed the bathroom door and darted through the door conjoining the bathroom to the living room. She almost made it to the front door before she felt a hand grab a hold of her hair. He yanked her back against him, his hand once again going around her neck. She clawed at his wrist as his hand squeezed, cutting off her air supply. She struggled to breathe as his hand continued to increase its pressure. He didn't let her suffocate, though. He pushed her onto the ground before she could lose consciousness. "Stupid, stupid, stupid," he murmured as she coughed on the ground. She struggled to get onto her knees and crawl away. He didn't let her get far before he grabbed her by her hair and lifted her up. She whimpered under the pain as he yanked her head back so she'd look up at him. "You've been a very bad girl lately," he murmured. "What's going on with that, huh? Do you like making me angry?"

"I'm just scared, Scourge."

"Of what? I told you I'd take care of you. Didn't I tell you that?" She nodded. "Then what are you so afraid of?" She shrugged her shoulders. He sighed as he slowly let her go. Rosy dropped down to her knees without him holding her up. "I don't know what I'm going to do with you," he said as he stooped down to her level. "You can't keep acting out like this. I get that you're scared, but you know I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I got you out of that prison, and I'm not going to let them take you back." She nodded, her eyes avoiding his. He kissed her injured lip that he hadn't realized was bleeding. He'd reopened the cut when he'd slapped her. He frowned at the sight before he wrapped her up in his arms and carried her into the bathroom. He ran a bath for her before undressing her. He cleaned her up as she lost consciousness.

He wanted so badly to feel nothing but hate for her the same way he did for everyone else in the world. He'd tried so many times to hate her for all the things she did wrong. While he did get angry with her often, he couldn't force himself to hate her. He could abuse her all he wanted, but he could never get past the fact that she was the only person he'd ever had empathy for. He loved her. He loved her in the only way he knew how. While his love didn't equal kindness, they both still acknowledged the way he felt about her. He didn't know how to love the right way. He'd tried in the past, but that was exhausting to him. When she started to act out, it gave him reason to love her the way he wanted to. He wanted to control her, and eventually he did. But after that, he wanted more. Even as he stared at her sleeping peacefully, he wanted more than just control over her. He wasn't sure what more exactly he wanted, but he knew that he might never get it.

He laid her in the bed after her bath and let her be. He turned his attention back to his work that was scattered around the desk in the bedroom. His eyes lingered on the psychiatrist's file that he managed to get his hands on. He'd watched over his interview with Rosy, and Scourge could see the affection in the doctor's eyes for her. He couldn't stand when other men took interest in his girl. Rosy was his; he'd made sure of it years ago. However, the doctor seemed to not be able to let her go. He'd seen the man accompanying the police when they'd gotten close on their trail and making interviews on television. The man had gotten emotionally attached whether he wanted to or not. Scourge's mind ticked with bloody ideas as he scribbled plans onto a notepad. He was so invested in his mind that he hadn't noticed Rosy was awake and watching him from her spot on the bed. It was only when he was finished that he turned his attention back to her. She was watching him with her beautiful wide emerald eyes, her head almost tilted to the side. He walked up to her and kissed the bruise around her eye. Her hand slowly curled around his and she tugged timidly. He got into the bed with her, and held her in his arms. "I'm sorry," Rosy murmured into his chest.

"Shh, none of that." He kissed her forehead. "Tell me you love me."

"You know I do."

"I said tell me," he said, his voice taking a sharp turn.

"I love you," Rosy said. She lifted her head up to kiss him softly. To both of their dislike, they fell into the kiss. They had been fighting ever since they'd broken out of prison, so it felt nice to be intimate again. Scourge, however, was still angry with her. He kissed her possessively and took her body without mercy. He showed her his form of love and she reveled in it. They both knew that falling in love with each other was a mistake, but it was one of the best and worst mistakes they'd ever made.

 **Review if you wish!**


	5. Moonlight

**It has been a very long time, and I wrote this a very long time ago. Important message at the bottom of this chapter!  
**

 _May 20_ _th_ _2008_

When I finally came out of the darkness, I could feel another mattress beneath my back. I couldn't feel anything bounding my wrists so I assumed he'd untied me. I slowly opened my eyes only to be met with the bright sun shining into them. I squinted as I cautiously looked around the room. I didn't think we were in the same hotel room that we were in before. The walls were a different color and the furniture was set around differently. My stomach churned as the events of the other night replayed in my mind. Scourge had shot up my lounge and taken me away from my sister. Tears threatened to prick from my eyes as the memory of Amy's desperate cries rang through my head. She didn't know how to survive without me, and I didn't know how to live without her. I'd always looked out for her, nurtured her, and mentored her. I'd always been her role model growing up. She'd always looked up to me, and I promised I'd never let her down. When we were kidnapped, my promise ran deeper than when we were kids. I literally had to keep her safe, putting her safety before mine and taking harsh treatment so that she wouldn't. But who would keep her safe now that I was gone? While I'd never trusted Sonic, I did have some faith that he'd look out for her. From the looks of the dead bodies, she might've been one of the few girls Boss had left. Surely, they wouldn't let anything happen to her.

As I sat up in the bed, I realized that I wasn't in a hotel room. I was in a bedroom – Scourge's bedroom. The room was decorated with various crime movie posters and bulletin boards. Some of the boards were small recreations of a detective's mystery board with tacks and pictures. Others were filled with pictures of him and other unfamiliar faces. There was a television sitting across from the foot of the bed next to the open doorway. He had a few dressers, but I didn't see a desk anywhere.

I cautiously got out of the bed, my bare feet creaking on the wooden floor. I tugged at the oversized tee shirt I was wearing as I walked up to one of the bulletin boards filled with pictures. Scourge was smiling in most of the photos with a pretty brunette by his side. Some of the pictures held younger versions of them while others seemed more recent. In other pictures, he was standing next to a middle aged man with dark hair and a hard smile. They didn't look anything alike so I assumed it wasn't his father. However, the man seemed to have been at every accomplishment of his. In the pictures, Scourge was usually wearing a graduation gown or athletic uniform or even a suit. The man must've been his guardian or someone important to him.

"Did you sleep well," I heard Scourge's voice say from behind me. I jumped as I turned to face him. He was leaning in the doorway, his arms crossed against his chest. He was only wearing a fitted white beater and a pair of sweatpants with his curls a mess on his head. I had to admit that he looked good standing there in his morning beauty. However, my attraction towards him didn't change the fact that I no longer trusted him. I'd known that I was falling too deep too fast before, but I refused to let myself fall anymore. This man was a murderer – a cold blooded murderer. I couldn't allow myself to voluntarily be with someone like that. I wanted the sweet person he was before, not the monster he'd shown to me a few nights ago.

"Yea," I said sarcastically. "Those were some pretty good drugs you forced into my veins."

"Glad you enjoyed them," he replied stonily. I wrapped my arms around myself as he walked into the room. He made a beeline towards one of his dressers on the other side of the room, and opened a drawer. I took a few steps closer to see what he was doing as the sound of shuffled papers filled the room. He took out a big yellow envelope and threw it on the bed. "This is everything you're gonna need from now on." I raised an eyebrow as he shut the drawer and turned back to me. He grabbed the envelope and dumped the contents out onto the bed. "Here's a new social security card, driver's license, passport, birth certificate…everything you need to start over."

"I would ask how you got all this, but I don't think I wanna know." He smirked.

"I have friends in high places," he said simply. "Working in the criminal justice system has its perks sometimes."

"If you're a murderer then how do you work in the criminal justice system?" I questioned. I should've known better not to push his buttons, but I couldn't help it. I was curious as to who he really was.

"Because unlike other idiots, I know how to clean up my messes and steer clear of getting found. Working in crime scene investigation really helps when you pay close enough attention to what gives a person away. Witnesses, for example, are the worst. Hence, why I never leave any."

"But you left my sister."

"And who is she gonna tell? The police would be more interested in the kidnapping and sexual abuse of her rather than the killings. Murders happen every day, but it's not every day when they catch sex traffickers." I frowned. "Are you hungry? I made breakfast."

"No," I replied as I turned my back to him. I walked over to the window to look out at our surroundings. My eyebrows raised as I took in the suburban houses with people sitting on their porches and children riding their bikes. "Where are we," I asked.

"New Mexico," he said, his voice close.

"Why did you bring me here," I asked as I turned around to face him. He was standing inches away, hovering over me with soft eyes.

"What were you expecting? A trailer in the middle of nowhere," he asked.

"Honestly yes." He rolled his eyes. He slowly reached out to me, but I flinched away. His hands slowly balled into fists as lowered them. He opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated.

"I brought you here because this is my home…" He crossed his arms. "I thought you would like it here…with me. When I first moved here, I was given the chance to start over and so, I thought I could give you the same chance."

"Why?"

"Because I care deeply for you, and I couldn't let you live another second in the life you were in before." He looked away. "I understand that you're going to need some time alone considering all that's happened, so I'm here for whenever you need me." I didn't reply so he continued to speak. "You can explore around as you wish. I got ahold of the money from your checking account and had it loaded onto a debit card so you can go shopping or something if you want. I enrolled you in some classes at the community college just to get you started in the education department. The only thing I ask is that you don't go to the police…and that you don't do anything with any other guys."

"And what are you going to do if I do either of those things?"

"You don't want to find out," he said, his voice hard. "Come on. You should eat something." I reluctantly followed him out the room and down the stairs to the kitchen. There was a small table in there where he'd laid out two plates filled with eggs, bacon and toast. I took a seat at the table while he got some orange juice for us. We ate in silence, the only sound being the morning talk show that played on the radio. After breakfast, I went to explore around the spacious house. Each room was painted a subtle color with elegant furniture and decorative paintings. My favorite room was the sun room that lay in the very back of the house. The room had windows for walls – including the ceiling. The sun poured out all over the room, sparkling against the glass sculptures on the banister. There was a bookshelf in there that was filled with tons of fiction and non-fiction stories. I ran my fingers over their spines as I took in the smell of the worn paper. A small loveseat lay in the corner of the room next to a recliner chair. I smiled at the furniture before taking in the room one last time.

The next room I wandered into was what I believed was Scourge's study. Inside was a huge desk organized neatly with papers, books, notebooks, and a computer sitting in the midst of it all. There were tons of filled bookshelves lining the walls, making the impression of a personal library. I wandered around the desk, noticing the picture frames sitting atop it. The pictures were similar to the ones in the bedroom. There was Scourge smiling with either the pretty brunette or the dark haired man. My eyes lingered on the brunette in the pictures. She was beautiful with her bright blue eyes, wide smile, bouncy hair, and tanned skin. I couldn't help but wonder if she and Scourge had a fling or if they were simply just friends. I didn't want to ask Scourge that question just yet. I didn't feel like speaking to him at all. I just wanted to be by myself for some time.

Scourge respected my space for the first few weeks. He rarely bothered me unless it was to tell me he'd made some food or that he was leaving or going to bed. He'd always kiss me on the forehead before he'd leave me alone. I spent most of my time in the sun room reading. I'd told Scourge when he asked about my college classes that I wanted to go in the fall. I wanted to have the summer to adjust to my new surroundings. He had nodded and enrolled me in some fall classes to substitute the summer ones. I got through tons of books those first few weeks. I'd read through all his romance and mystery novels before I went out to the store to buy more.

I'd felt strange going to the store for the first time by myself. Scourge was home when I'd told him I wanted to go out, but he merely tossed me his car keys and told me to have fun. He'd seemed to be preoccupied in his study, his eyes trained on his computer screen with papers surrounding him. I almost asked him to come with me, but I left him alone. I followed the GPS in his car to get to the local mall. It was strange driving by myself and not having escorts in the backseat. It was even stranger not having my sister to talk to as I perused around the clothing stores. I had no one's opinions or comments towards what I picked up nor did I have someone to simply talk to. I would admit that I missed the company. However, I did like the freedom. I walked around the mall for a few hours, ate lunch, and brought myself some things without having anyone watching. I felt truly free.

When I finally returned home, I noticed another car parked on the curve in front of Scourge's house. It was a cute red Nissan Altima with superhero bumper stickers all over its rear. I'd raised an eyebrow at it as my stomach tingled in jealous butterflies. I knew that I shouldn't have been jealous considering Scourge and I were barely even together at that moment, but I still had some feelings for him. I didn't want him to be fooling around with anyone else. He'd given me the impression that he was mine, and I wanted to believe it for as long as I could.

I heard laughter as I walked through the front door. I recognized Scourge's chuckle off the back, but I didn't know the soft female voice who yelled "asshole." I set my bags down in the hallway before creeping to the living room doorway. The first thing I saw was a mass of chestnut colored hair, long legs, and a flying pillow on top of Scourge. He was laughing, his arms held up in front of his face to protect him from the pillow she was hitting him with. I almost smiled at the cute scene before the girl turned her head to look at me. "Hi," she yelled. She smacked Scourge with the pillow as she got off of him. I immediately recognized the girl's face from Scougre's pictures. She was even more beautiful in person with her pink cheeks and slender body. "You must be Rosy" she said as she ran towards me. I didn't have time to reply before her arms grabbed me into a tight hug.

"Hi," I mumbled as I gave her a soft hug back. She pulled away, shooting me a bright smile.

"It's such a pleasure to finally meet you! I'm Fiona, Scourge's best friend!"

"Nice to meet you," I said as I offered her a smile. I glanced at Scourge to see that he was watching me intently, his eyes silently daring me to say the wrong thing to her.

"Scourge was telling me all about you earlier. He said you guys met on his business trip in New Jersey. You worked in a bar he went to, right?"

"Yea."

"He also said you had a whole life up there that you suddenly threw away to be with him? Please tell me you're just kidding and you're gonna leave his sorry ass eventually." I laughed.

"I wish I could, but unfortunately I'm kind of stuck with him. It was a pretty bad situation back in Jersey, and Scourge offered for me to stay with him so that I could get myself back together."

"Ah ha! So you guys aren't dating?" She turned to her best friend. "I knew you were lying about that part." Scourge rolled his eyes.

"We are dating," he said. "We're just…trying to figure things out right now. Right, Rosy?"

"Yea…something like that," I agreed. Fiona raised an eyebrow.

"I will never understand you heterosexuals. You never know what the hell you want, and then call us the confused ones."

"You never know _who_ the hell you want, that's your problem," Scourge said as he got up to walk towards us. "What happened to Karen?"

"She was a ho."

"And Jennifer?"

"She was boring."

"And Brittany?"

"Now she's fun. I like her. Talk about a naughty school girl with that one."

"Barf me," Scourge teased as he wrapped his arm around my waist. Fiona smiled at us, her eyes sparkling with joy.

"Well, I guess I'll leave you guys be for the night. However, I look forward to having dinner with the two of you tomorrow night." She pointed a finger at me. "I'm getting you drunk," she promised. I laughed at her before she bid us a goodbye and skipped out the door. As soon as I heard the door shut, I wiggled out of Scourge's grasp.

"She seems nice," I admitted.

"She's a pain in my ass," he said. "But she's my best friend…has been for over ten years." I didn't reply as I went to retrieve my bags from the hallway. Scourge followed me. He grabbed the bags before I could and began to take them upstairs. I sighed after him, but followed him into his room. He set the bags down before sitting down on his bed. He rubbed his face roughly, his eyes softening as he looked over at me. I tried to offer him a smile, but I couldn't lift my lips up high enough. "Tell me what you're thinking about," he said.

"I'm thinking about who you really are," I replied. "Because I can't tell what lies beneath those blue eyes of yours, and if we're being honest, that scares me."

"I don't want you to be afraid, Rosy."

"You should've thought about that before you killed those people." He sighed.

"Look, I don't know what you want from me. I took you away from that hell hole, I'm giving you a brand new chance to start over, and I'm trying to give you my heart, a thing I didn't know I owned and you don't seem to care about any of that." I crossed my arms as I looked away. "I don't know what else you want me to do, Rosy. I'm not sorry I killed those people. I refuse to apologize for what I did. Almost all of those people were scumbags who deserved to die. They hurt you, they hurt others… And the girls…the ones who were like you…they were probably happier dead than without work." I heard him sit up from the bed. His footsteps made their way towards me until I felt his hands on my face. He tilted my head up so I'd look at him. "I told you before that I'm no worse than the other men who abused you, and that was the truth. I'm not…I'm trying not to be the man you saw the other night. I want to be the guy you fell in love with. Can you let me do that?"

"I don't know," I murmured. He sighed deeply as his thumb caressed my cheek. His gentle touch was comforting despite my reluctance to be so close to him. I had to admit that I'd missed his attention. While I'd never felt lonely during the weeks we didn't talk, I did miss some companionship. I'd missed having someone to talk to. I'd missed having my sister to talk to.

"Don't do that," Scourge said as I felt a tear fall from my eye. "Don't cry." I pulled away from him as my tears continued to silently fall. I wrapped my arms around myself as I turned away from him. For a moment, I'd wished he'd killed me instead of separating me from my sister. I may have hated my old life, but I loved the bond my sister and I shared. She was my best friend, and now she was gone. I'd already lost our parents; I'd never thought that I would lose her too. I realized that I never thought that I'd be alone. I'd always had Amy or my mother or father or friends to motivate me through hard times. But I didn't have any of them anymore. All I had was myself and a man I barely knew. I was in a situation I'd found myself in plenty of times in my old life with the exception of sex being out of the picture. I didn't know what Scourge wanted from me, but I knew he didn't only want sex. Yet, I wasn't sure if I could give him the love I thought I had for him. After his violent act in the club, I wasn't sure if I could ever learn to love him. I needed to know if he was truly a good man or if he was simply acting the way he did to get close to me before I considered giving my heart back to him.

I felt his arms wrap around me as his lips went to my cheek. He kissed it softly. "I'm sorry," he murmured against my skin. "I just wanted you to be happy here…with me."

"I know," I murmured. "But I need time, Scourge. I need time to adjust."

"I've given you time," he said sharply. "It's been a month, Rosy. I gave you space for a month." He gently turned me around so I'd look at him. His eyes were hard, but his voice was a soft whisper. "I can't stay away from you anymore. You don't know how hard it's been for me to see you walking around in my old tee shirts, barely dressed, and not do what I want to you. I can't keep watching you read all these books and not have you come talk to me about your thoughts on them. I can't keep living around you without being able to be with you. I know you're probably still in shock from what I did, but you have to learn to move on from it. I've moved on…and now it's your turn to do the same." I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to say or even what he wanted me to say. He made moving on sound so easy. I wished it could be that easy.

"Okay," I murmured. "I can try…" He smiled.

"Good." He kissed my forehead. "Are you hungry? There's some pizza downstairs."

"No; I ate at the mall. I think I'm gonna take a shower." I forced a smile at him before wiggling out of his grasp. His smile fell as I retreated into the bathroom. I didn't think much as I showered. I simply tried to relax under the hot water. When I got out the shower, I dressed in one of Scourge's old tee shirts and some undergarments. I brushed my wet hair and pulled it into a bun. The television hummed downstairs, so I assumed Scourge was down there. I hesitated for a moment, but I walked downstairs to the living room. Scourge was sitting on the couch with a beer in his hand, his eyes fixed on the television. I hovered in the doorway for a moment as I mentally debated if I really wanted to spend time with him. As I stared at his beautiful face, I had to admit that I did miss his company. I'd missed our long talks, his lingering kisses, and even the way he moved against me the night he made me his own. I didn't want to forget about the night he took me away, but it seemed that I'd at least have to push it into the back of my mind if I wanted to really make a life with him.

I caught his eye as I walked over to the couch. He watched me sit down next to him. I crossed my legs as I spoke. "What show is this," I asked.

"Law and Order," he replied. "Do you want a drink?"

"Sure. A strawberry wine cooler would be great."

"Okay." He got up to retrieve my drink, leaving me to gawk at the show. The show seemed to have been on for a little while, so I had some catching up to do in terms of story. I never really caught on since I began to doze on off Scourge's shoulder. All the shopping I'd done had worn me out. The light dose of alcohol didn't exactly help either. If anything, the little buzz just made me sleepier.

I forced myself to get off the couch and stretch. Scourge looked up at me as I did so, his eyes lingering on my bare legs. "I think I'm gonna get to sleep," I told him. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," he replied. I shot him a soft smile before I headed towards the stairs. I made a beeline to his bedroom and flopped down onto the bed. I didn't even get to pull the covers over my body before I drifted off to sleep.

When I awoke the next morning, I could hear footsteps around the bedroom. I'd let out a soft moan as I rolled over onto my back. I slowly sat up as I rubbed at my eyes. "Good morning," I heard Scourge's voice say. I opened one eye to see him standing at his dresser, only a towel covering his lower body. My cheeks began to burn as I looked over his chiseled physique. Tattoos decorated his arms, emphasizing his bulging muscles. He shot me a smirk through the mirror. "Like what you see?" I blushed deeper as I looked away. I heard him chuckle as I looked at the clock on his nightstand.

"Was I really asleep that long," I asked. "It's eleven thirty."

"You were tired," Scourge said with a shrug.

"But usually I get up around eight." I paused. "Do you stick me with more drugs again?" Scourge let out a laugh as he turned around to look at me.

"You'd know if I stuck you with more drugs, mama." He began to walk up to the bed. "Do you really think I'm that bad," he asked as he started to crawl towards me. My back hit the headboard as I attempted to back away. Scourge grinned deviously as he trapped me against the headboard with his hands planted on the bed on either side of me. I could smell the fresh scent of his Old Spice body wash radiating off his damp body. I'd put my hands on his shoulders to prevent him from getting any closer, yet the butterflies in my stomach only intensified from the touch. "Answer my question," he whispered.

"Maybe," I stuttered out. My heart was beating out of my chest, but to my surprise it wasn't from fear. I wasn't afraid of him. Instead, I was turned on. His dominance over me, I had to admit, was very sexy. In that moment, I wanted nothing more but for him to take me for all I was. For once, I'd actually put his terrible deed in the back of my mind. I let my ache to cure my loneliness come forward and his request for me to be happy with him fill my mind. As I looked into his sparkling blue eyes, I knew that I could be happy with him. I knew that he could make me happy.

"Hmm." He moved closer, pushing my back straight against the headboard. His nose brushed against mine before he continued to close the space between us. "Is there anything I can do to change that?"

"Maybe." He planted a light kiss on my lips. The kiss was the beginning of many more. I wrapped my arms around him, tangling my hands in his hair as he kissed me. Our kisses were passionate, deep, and turned me on even more. His lips were so soft and moved so perfectly with mine. I couldn't wait to be more intertwined with him. His tongue flicked at my lips, causing me to moan softly. He took the opportunity to slither his tongue into my mouth. I moaned once more into his mouth as his tongue began to wrestle with mine. A soft growl rumbled in the back of his throat before he abruptly pulled out of the kiss. I didn't have time to ask if he was alright before he grabbed my ankles and pulled me down onto my back. He tugged off the tee shirt I was wearing. His eyes glazed over with lust as he looked over my bra-less torso and my lacy panties.

"You're so beautiful," he murmured. I blushed at his comment before he leaned down to kiss me again. I wrapped my legs around him, tugging his pelvis towards mine. "Not so fast, mami," he whispered. "Do you remember all that time you hiding from me?"

"Scourge," I whimpered as he began to kiss on my neck.

"Answer my question," he commanded against my skin.

"Yes."

"Do you remember how I said that made me feel?"

"Yes." His hand slowly traveled down my stomach, sending a trail of sparks down my skin. "You…you said it was hard not do what you wanted when I wore your things."

"Mhmm." His hand skimmed my core above my panties. My hips bucked under his touch. He chuckled at my body's reaction as he tugged off my panties. He bit down on my neck as he began to play with my core. I gasped at the touch, my arms tightening around him. He brought his head up to kiss my lips one more time before he began to make a trail of kisses down my body. I gasped again as he got to my core. He took me into his control as he devoured me with his tongue. All I could do was moan and tangle my hands in his hair. He held my hips still to make sure I didn't move away from him, though I wouldn't have anyway. I was so close to my orgasm when he suddenly stopped and pulled away from me. He shot me a smirk as he got up from the bed and went back to his dresser.

"What are you doing," I asked.

"Getting dressed," he said simply. He licked his lips as he opened his drawer and pawed through his clothes.

"Seriously? I was so close."

"I know." He looked to me in the mirror. "Do you want me to finish?"

"Well…duh!" He smirked.

"You see I would but…"

"You are not seriously going to play the teasing game with me right now."

"It's a two player game, mami. Don't act like you weren't playing it before." I let out a sigh as I rubbed my legs together. My core was aching, the sensation in my body begging to be released. "You can always cure yourself ya know."

"You're an asshole."

"I know." He tugged on a pair of boxers. He pulled out a pair of jeans from another drawer as he glanced at me in the mirror. "Come on. Get dressed. We're going out with Fiona later, and I want to run to the bank really fast." I groaned as I rolled over in the bed. Reluctantly, I got out of the bed and headed for the shower. I washed up quickly before dressing in a simple sun dress and a pair of wedges. By the time I got downstairs, Scourge was finishing off a toasted bagel. He was standing near the window in the kitchen, staring absentmindedly at the outside world. There was another toasted bagel with cream cheese sitting on the table next to a glass of orange juice. I sat down at the table and began to nibble on my bagel. Scourge didn't really speak during breakfast. When he wasn't staring out the window, he was busying himself with the dishes and organizing the cabinets. I stayed quiet as I ate my bagel and watched him wander through his small tasks.

We finally left once I was done with my breakfast. The sun was high in the sky when we got outside. The heat wrapped around me like a blanket. Scourge's neighbors were sitting out on their porches drinking lemonade and socializing. A couple of them yelled greetings to Scourge who waved back at them. I tried to make a beeline to his car, but he lightly grabbed my arm and pulled me to the sidewalk. "We're gonna walk," he said as he let me go. "The bank is only a few blocks away, and it's nice outside."

"It's hot," I replied. Scourge rolled his eyes at me, but didn't respond. He didn't exactly have the time to before one of the neighbors called out his name. We both looked over to see an older African American couple sitting on their front porch. They were perched in lawn chairs that were circled around a small table. They were both smiling, the man waving for Scourge to come over. Scourge grabbed my hand and led me over to the couple.

"Hi Mr. and Mrs. Baxter," he said as he approached them. He shook hands with the man and gave the woman a hug.

"We were starting to get worried about ya," Mr. Baxter said. "We haven't seen you in a while."

"I've been working. You know how crazy the hours get. I went to Jersey for a few months."

"Really," the woman said. "And how was that? Did you get the chance to go to AC or drive up to New York?"

"Nah. I was a little preoccupied," he replied as he pulled me to his side. I blushed as the woman smiled up at me.

"Well, well, and who might this pretty little thing be?" She asked.

"This is Rosalinda Cavanaugh. We met while I was working down in Jersey. She's going to be attending the community college in the fall so I offered to let her spend the summer with me." He squeezed my hand.

"Ah so you finally got yourself a girlfriend," the man teased with a smile. "It's about time, son."

"Seems like you got yourself a good one this time," the woman said as she examined me. "She doesn't look like a runaround sue like the rest of 'em." Scourge chuckled.

"Yea, I think my judgement has improved when it comes to women."

"Thank god for that. You're not getting any younger ya know. You've gotta start thinking about marriage and starting a family." Scourge nodded.

"I've been thinking. I just didn't find the right girl before." He pulled me closer to him. "I think I might've gotten it right this time." I blushed at his words as he kissed the side of my head. The older couple smiled at us.

"Good. Well, we won't hold you guys up. Have a good day now! Tell Fiona we said hello," the man said. Daniel nodded and bid a soft goodbye as he led me back to the sidewalk.

"Who were they," I asked as we continued on our way up the street.

"Mr. and Mrs. Baxter. They've lived in that house forever. They used to make Fiona and I all kinds of treats when we were younger. Sometimes Mr. Baxter would come over to help Thomas and I with the house work. One time we almost blew up the television." He chuckled. His eyes were lighter as his memories took him into another time. "Mr. Baxter has a lot of jokes in him. He used to mess with Thomas and Mr. Johnson across the street all the time. For an older man, he has a young soul."

"Who's…who's Thomas," I asked. The small light that had appeared in Scourge's eyes disappeared at the sound of my question. I gave his hand a soft squeeze when he hesitated to speak.

"He was my guardian," Scourge replied lowly.

"Is he the man in the pictures in your room?"

"Yes."

"Do you mind if I ask what happened to your parents?" A muscle in his jaw jumped. "If you want me to open up to you then you're going to have to start opening up to me." He sighed as he ran a hand through his hair.

"They died," he said softly. "Something bad happened to them."

"Oh. I'm so sorry."

"They weren't good people. My father was very violent, and my mother never really cared for me." He shrugged. "They beat on me almost every day. I have to admit that I was happy when the robbers killed them. I wish they hadn't done it in my face, but I was relieved that I wouldn't have to go through Hell anymore." He paused as I gave his hand a squeeze. "The government found it hard to get people to take me in. I wasn't exactly an angel child when I was younger, especially after my parents died. No one wanted a problematic ten year old. Eventually Thomas found me, and took me in. He used to be in the army so he had a strong enough spine to knock some sense into me whenever I'd get out of hand. He straightened me out for the most part. He helped me control a lot of my trauma and my temper. He was a good father to me."

"Did Thomas die as well?"

"Yea. He had brain cancer. There was nothing the doctors could do, so we just had to wait until it killed him. He died about a year ago."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay." He nudged me with his elbow. "How about you? How did you get into the sex business? Where are your parents?"

"I don't know where my parents are," I admitted. "Amy and I were kidnapped when I was thirteen. We…we were playing outside one night after church. Somehow we wandered off too far, and the next thing we knew we were being swooped up into a van." I rubbed my hands together. "I know you probably thought I was all confident and independent when we first met…you probably thought I would be able to adjust to all this easily. I'm sorry to tell you that it's going to take me a while. I didn't adapt well to the sex business, and I'm probably not going to adapt well to whatever new life you keep talking to me about. I've always just tried to survive whatever situation I was put in. I hope…I hope you can understand that."

"I do," he murmured. "I'm sorry for getting on your case about it last night. I didn't…I didn't know you were kidnapped."

"I know. It's alright. I'll be okay." His hand laced itself with mine, giving it a soft squeeze. I looked up at him as he pulled me against him. He wrapped his arm around me as he kissed my forehead. We continued our walk in silence. I took the time to examine my surroundings. His neighborhood reminded me of the ones I'd seen on television. All of the houses were two stories with clean lawns, big backyards, and kids running around its premises. A lot of the residences were sitting out on their porches conversing on the phone or with others. Children continued to run or bike past Scourge and I as we walked, a few of them sparing a hello to him. I had to admit I was surprised to see the genuine smile on his face as he replied back. I couldn't understand how his eyes that had once been so cold had become so warm.

I sat down on a bench outside of the bank once we got there. Scourge gave me a quizzical look as I settled myself down. He didn't say anything though. He let me be and walked into the bank on his own. I didn't dare to move as I waited for him. Some people coming in and out the bank offered me smiles and nods. Others, mainly the men, winked and gave me compliments. I ignored them, adverting my eyes elsewhere. I caught sight of a park that was just up the street. My stomach tightened as I considered just getting up and walking over. I wanted to see more of the children. I wanted to see how normal their lives were – be reminded of how mine used to be.

I walked over without thinking about what Scourge would do when he'd realized I wasn't sitting on the bench anymore. I wasn't going far so I knew he'd find me. I didn't think he would be angry considering I wasn't trying to run away.

The park was small with a simple playground and a set of swings. Only two girls ran around on the playground, chasing each other around and giggling. Their mother was sitting on the bench next to the playground where she could have full view of her girls. I sat down next to her, causing her to look over at me. I hadn't noticed the tears on her face or the bruise on her cheek. She seemed surprised by my appearance as she gasped and wiped at her eyes. "Are you okay," I asked cautiously.

"I'm fine," she said harshly.

"Sorry," I murmured. I turned my gaze back over to the girls who were taking turns going down the slide. The image reminded me of when Amy and I used to play at the park. We used to pretend we were princesses ruling over a kingdom. We'd make decisions, fight against pretend dragons, and sometimes have our male friends play the role of our knights. We adored the royal life and duties of a princess. My sister used to say she was going to marry a prince someday and be a real life princess. Her imagination used to be so colorful and quixotic. She used to be so bright. Although she managed to hold on to some of her youthful dreams, I could see that she lost faith in the princess life around the same time she lost faith in God. A lone tear fell from my eye as I was reminded to the fact that I couldn't save her from the horrors of our reality.

"I'm sorry," the woman said, jolting me from my thoughts. I looked over to her to see that she was offering me a small smile, her brown eyes soft. She was beautiful woman behind her tears. She had a mane of curly black hair, coffee colored skin, almond shaped eyes, plump red lips, and a slender body. "I didn't mean to be rude."

"It's alright," I said. I glanced at the girls. "Your daughters are beautiful." They resembled her with their curly hair and coffee skin. Their laughter echoed with the soft summer breeze.

"Thank you," she said. "Do you have any children?"

"No, but I'd like to have one someday." Her smile grew.

"You should. They're a blessing." I nodded as I looked away to the girls who were now yelling at their mother to look how high they were on the playset. "I see," the woman replied as she let out a soft laugh. "Are you new around here," she asked me.

"Yea. I used to live in New Jersey."

"That's a long ways from here. Why so much distance? Bad boyfriend? Family issues?"

"Sticky situation," I answered simply.

"You don't have to explain there. I've been in more than enough of those." The woman let out a soft laugh. "I'm Tatiana," she said as she held out her hand. I smiled as I shook it.

"Rosalinda," I replied.

"That's a very pretty name." I blushed.

"Thank you."

"Rosy," I heard Scourge's voice yell. I quickly turned my head to see him jogging over to us. His eyes were hard, though his facial expression gave off concern. I'd expected him to be angry with me for wandering off, but he couldn't do anything in front of Tatiana. The woman actually smiled widely at him.

"Scourge," she said as she stood up. "Scourge, is that you?"

"Tatiana," he replied as a smile came upon his face. I raised an eyebrow as he enveloped her into a soft hug. "How are you?"

"I'm good. I'm good. How are you? I haven't seen you in months. Everyone on the block thought you'd gotten yourself killed on one of your assignments."

"You all know it's not that kind of job."

"We know, but we can't help but worry about you." She ruffled his hair softly. He chuckled before he turned his eyes to me. I avoided his gaze as I stood up. "Do you know Rosalinda," Tatiana asked.

"Yea, she's my girlfriend."

"Oh!" She smiled widely as she looked to me. "You actually did a good job with picking 'em this time." Scourge rolled his eyes.

"You sound like Mrs. Baxter."

"Good," she said. "Lord knows we both were on your back long enough when it came to your little girls." She turned to me. "Bless your soul, Rosalinda. This boy has had more than enough tramps running around like they owned the place. The community appreciates the fact that he actually caught a good one this time." He shook his head at her.

"We should get going. It was nice to see you, Tatiana."

"It was nice to see you too. Give Rosalinda my number. Maybe we can grab lunch sometime and I can swap some embarrassing stories from when I used to babysit your badass." I let out a soft giggle.

"I'd like that," I said before Scourge could reply. He nodded as he grabbed my hand and gave it a tight squeeze. My bones whimpered in his death hold, but I managed to keep a smile on my face. Tatiana returned my smile before Daniel bid her goodbye again and dragged me away. I yanked my hand out of his grasp once we were out of Tatiana's sight. "You can't yell at me," I said. "I didn't try to run away, and you didn't give me orders to say on the bench. You have no reason to be mad at me." I glanced up at him to see that he was glaring at me, his eyes glazed over with ice.

"We'll talk when we get back in the house." I crossed my arms at his response, but I didn't reply. I didn't want to make him any more upset than he was. We walked back to his house in silence, not that either of us minded. When we finally got back to the house, he ordered me to go up to his room. I'd raised an eyebrow at him, but the look he gave me sent a shiver down my spine. So, I complied with his request. I sat down on the bed and kicked off my wedges. For a moment, I debated closing and locking the door. However, I knew that wouldn't end well. I was better off just sitting there and waiting for him to yell at me. I could hear him moving around the lower level of the house, but I couldn't tell what he was doing. After a few minutes, he finally appeared in the doorway.

"Take off your dress," he said as he closed the door. I raised an eyebrow. "Now," he snapped.

"Okay…okay." I stood up to pull the dress over my head. His blue eyes examined my lacy strapless bra and panties for a split second before he barked another command at me.

"Lay down on your stomach. On the bed." I complied without hesitation. "Good girl." I watched him as he took off his shirt and kicked off his shoes and socks. I blushed as I examined his muscular torso and his hips that his jeans hung dangerously low on. He wandered over to one of his drawers and fiddled with the contents inside. I lifted my head a little to see what he was doing. "Don't move," he said without looking at me. I lowered my head back down as he pulled out two belts. One was leather while the other was made of cloth material.

"What are you doing," I asked as he began to walk towards me.

"Shh." He climbed onto the bed. "Hold your arms out and hold onto the headboard." I hesitated, but did as he said. He wrapped the cloth belt around my wrists, twisting it around the poles of his headboard so that I couldn't move. He moved off the bed a bit to grab his shirt off the floor. He stretched it horizontally before wrapping it around my face like a blindfold. My stomach tingled in fear as I shakily asked him again what he was doing. "You've been a bad girl," he said as he tightened the knot on my blindfold. "Bad girls get punished."

"But I've been trying to be good."

"How? By teasing and running away from me?"

"I could be doing worse."

"Yea, but you're smarter than that. Get on your knees." I slowly got into position, but he stopped me midway. I wanted to question him, but my answer was given when he took my panties off. I could feel the red in my cheeks increase as I continued to sit up on my elbows and knees. I didn't even get a chance to contemplate what he was going to do before I felt the harsh slap of leather onto my bare skin. I bit my lip as he continued the beating. I had to admit that I wasn't used to the pain. He was rougher than the other men who'd done this to me. Then again, other men had a restriction whereas he didn't. He gave me about fifteen slaps before he finally stopped.

"I learned my lesson," I whimpered.

"What," he asked, his voice gruff. He climbed on top of me, his hard pressing through his jeans onto me. I blushed as he began to kiss my neck. "What did you say," he whispered huskily into my ear. I opened my mouth to speak, but my voice got lost as his hands began to grope at my chest. I melted into him as he began to kiss my neck again. He devoured me once more that afternoon. He didn't wait long to take me under his control. He made me moan under his rough thrusts, harsh bites, and relentless pulls at my hair. I reveled in his roughness the same way I did the first time. His rough way of making love to me filled me with a euphoria that I rarely experienced from sex. I could feel his passion as he thrust into me and whispered commands in my ear. I could feel a passion I could tell he'd never shared with anyone else. This wasn't just sex for him. This was so much more.

"Can you untie me now," I whispered into my pillow once we were finished. He was lying beside me, his chest moving to the beat of his deep breaths. He reluctantly rolled over and untied me. We both rolled onto our backs, our quick breaths filling the room. More than just my pelvis was throbbing as I lay there, though I wasn't complaining. Somehow, the adrenaline of my beating increased the pleasure I'd received. I wasn't sure how considering I'd never thought I'd be interested in such acts, but I didn't want to ponder over it. Instead, I wanted to cherish the intimate moments I'd had with Daniel. I slowly rolled onto him, resting my head on his chest. He tensed up under me for a second before his arm slowly wrapped around me. I rubbed his toned stomach as his heart beats slowed down to that of normal speed. I looked up at him from under my eyelashes to see that his eyes were closed and his mouth was set in a soft line. "Are you sleeping," I asked.

"No," he replied quickly. "We have to start getting ready soon. Fiona is meeting us at the local lounge at seven." I glanced at the clock to see that it was close to four o' clock.

"We still have time to lay here and cuddle." I pecked a kiss at his jaw before I lay my head back down on his chest. He began to run his fingers through my hair as I traced on his skin. I hadn't realized it then, but I'd pushed his violent actions to the back of my mind. For once, I didn't feel sad or afraid. I felt like a normal girl cuddling with her boyfriend after amazing sex. I felt loved.

Scourge and I forced ourselves to get up around five thirty so that we could start getting ready. We took a shower together, in which we spent half the time making out under the hot water. He almost took me again, but he complained that we'd be late if he started anything he wanted to finish. I'd groaned as he crushed his lips back onto mine. After our shower, I started pawing through the closet to find something to wear. I settled on a simple strapless purple dress that accented my long legs. I left my hair in its natural curls, but I pulled them up into a sophisticated yet messy bun with some tendrils framing my face. I didn't put much makeup on. I just put on enough to make me look like the sexy vixen I used to be with my winged eyeliner, dark eye shadow, and velvet colored lipstick. I stared at my reflection for a while after I was finished. Standing before me wasn't the broken yet beautiful girl whose life was robbed from her. Instead, I saw the girl whose life I should've had. At this age, I should've been going out with a nice boy who my parents approved of. I should've been getting all dolled up to go on dates – with Amy's help of course. She would fuss over my hair and take hours trying to perfect my makeup. Then my father would laugh and tell us both that we were beautiful with or without makeup. He'd say it before he kissed my mother on her lips and she'd blush.

My eyes watered as the image came to life before me. I could imagine us all in our old house, sitting around the living room as we waited for my date to pick me up. Amy would be sitting next to me on the couch, touching me up with makeup sponge and fiddling with the pins in my hair. My mother and father would be cuddled up on the couch, watching their daughters with soft eyes. The doorbell rung as Scourge's voice called out to me in reality. I jolted out of my daydream and looked over at him. He was wearing a fitted black button up shirt, dark wash jeans, and dress shoes. His blue eyes were hard as they fell on the few tears that streamed down my eyes. "Don't do that," he said simply.

"I'm sorry," I answered softly as I dabbed at my tears. "I just…"

"You don't have to explain." He walked closer to me, holding out his hand. "Come on." I took his hand, and he helped me up. He offered me a smile as he looked me over. "You look beautiful, Rosy." I blushed.

"Thank you." He landed a soft kiss on my lips before leading me downstairs. He drove for about twenty minutes before we arrived at a fancy lounge called "The Devil's Treat." It was a red building with wide windows in which you could see the dim lighting and occupants inside. Scourge helped me out of the car and led me inside. The inside of the lounge was very nice. The velvet couches were grouped together in small circles around tables. There was a door in the back that led out to what I assumed was a club from the loud music coming from the door. It was the same music playing in the area we were in, but much louder. Waiters dressed in tuxedos floated around the couches, offering people drinks and small appetizers. All of the occupants were dressed in casual night dresses and dress shirts. They were all happily accompanied with friends or lovers. Everyone was laughing or smiling in their small conversations. It was a huge difference compared to the lounge I had grown used to.

Fiona was sitting near one of the windows against the wall. She was dressed in a lacy spaghetti strapped bralette, a pair of black high waist skinny jeans, and black stilettos. Her chestnut hair was pulled up into an elegant ponytail that fell down her back. She looked beautiful as she stood up and waved us over. Scourge squeezed my hand as he led me over to her. "Hey guys," she greeted us. She gave us both a hug, the smell of her sweet perfume radiating off of her body. "Rosy, you look amazing! Call me if Scourge ever gives you any problems." She winked at me.

"Hey, hey, we agreed you wouldn't start hitting on her until after at least six months of us dating," Scourge said as we sat down across from her.

"I know, but I can't help it. Look at her: she's gorgeous!" I blushed. "So, what do you drink? Scourge, I already know you're aching for a beer. But just one since you're driving." He rolled his eyes. "Rosy, have you ever had an Evil Angel?"

"I've made them, but I've never had them," I admitted.

"Great." Fiona looked around the lounge for a moment before she smiled widely. "Brittany! Brittany come here!" A beautiful blonde with deep blue eyes, long legs, and soft smile walked up to our table. "Sit down for a second."

"But I'm working," the blonde said with a laugh. She looked over at us and blushed. "Hi, you must be Scourge," she said to my boyfriend.

"And you must be Brittany. I've heard a great deal about you."

"Good things, I hope," she said as she shot a mischievous glance at Fiona who merely smirked at her. "I've heard a lot of things about you as well."

"I doubt they were all good things, but at least she was being honest about me."

"This is my demon spawn best friend in the flesh," Fiona said as she waved her hands at Scourge.

"Is it true you fought the whole senior class male population when you were a freshman…and didn't die?" Brittany asked as her eyebrows pulled together in concern. Scourge shrugged.

"If it makes the story sound more realistic, it wasn't the all the senior boys – just the ones who thought they were tough." Scourge replied.

"Yea which was about three-fourths of them. To this day, I still don't know how you walked out of freshman year with all your bones intact." Fiona said. Scourge grinned at her.

"Lucifer, my father, gave me his grace and that's how I'm still alive," Scourge teased. Fiona threw a peanut at him, causing him to chuckle. I shook my head at him, causing Brittany to look to me. "This is my girlfriend, Rosy," Scourge said as he put his arm over my shoulders. I offered her a soft smile and she returned a weak one. She continued to stare at me, her eyebrows crinkling up in concern. Fiona cleared her throat, causing Brittany to look back to her.

"Can we get a couple rounds of Evil Angels over here? Oh and a light beer for Scourge," Fiona asked sweetly.

"Sure." She offered her a smile before her eyes flicked back to me for a moment. Her eyes lingered on me as she walked off to get our drinks.

"Do you guys know each other," Fiona asked as she raised an eyebrow.

"I don't think so," I replied. "Maybe she's seen me in passing or something."

"Maybe." Fiona shrugged. I glanced at Scourge to see that his eyes were on Brittany. The blonde was whispering to the bartender, both of them glancing back at me. I nudged him as Fiona changed the topic of conversation. He let out a deep breath of annoyance as he turned his attention to his best friend. Fiona chattered about her new job for a few minutes before Brittany came back over with our drinks. Fiona wasted no time in getting some alcohol into my system. As soon as Brittany put the tray down, Fiona was forcing a drink into my hand. I eagerly took down the shots with her. A part of me wanted to forget all that's happened in the past month with Daniel and losing my sister. I just wanted to be drunk and not have to think about anything. Needless to say that I got my wish. Fiona and I drank until we were falling on the floor laughing at each other. Scourge was glaring at me when he tugged me up to my feet. I giggled as I wrapped my arms around him.

"You look a mess," Brittany said as she frowned down at her girlfriend.

"I know," Fiona said as she helped herself up. "Scourge, I like your new girlfriend. She knows how to party." I smiled as she gave me a tight hug.

"Get off her and go home. I don't want you walking around like this for too long," Scourge said, as he pried her off of me. Brittany took Fiona into her own arms, offering an apologetic smile to Scourge. "Get her home safe," he told her. Brittany nodded to his request. Scourge knocked my feet from under me so that he could hold me bridal style in his arms. I giggled in his tight grasp as he began to carry me out of the club. My vision blurred in and out during the car ride home. Scourge didn't talk to me. Even when we finally arrived home, he didn't say anything as he carried me upstairs and dressed me for bed.

"Are you mad," I asked as he began to undress himself.

"I'm not happy," he replied. "I don't want you drinking like that. I understand that it was Fiona's idea, but I don't want you doing it again."

"Why not?"

"Because I said so," he snapped. I cringed at his cold tone. He let out a sigh as he ran his hand through his hair. "Can you just do what I say? Please."

"Okay," I murmured. He forced a smile at me through the mirror.

"Go to sleep now. You're going to have a hangover when you wake up." He pecked a kiss on my forehead. The last thing I saw before he turned out the light was the immediate loss of emotion in his eyes.

 **Author's Note: Hello, my loyal fanfiction readers. As some of you know, I've been a fanfiction writer for the past six years. I was a thirteen year old girl with a dream to become an author, and now I am a nineteen year old college student with an aspiration. For those of you who have been with me since the beginning, I cannot thank you enough for supporting me and my dream. Throughout the years, my writing has improved TREMENDOUSLY (I am currently reading my old fanfics and cringing at teenage me) and I'm so grateful you all have watched me grow into a better writer. I wish I could write fanfiction forever, but I've decided to retire from . I will leave my account open for all of you to continue to read the works I've created thus far. However, I'm not retiring frm writing. If you guys seriously enjoy my writing, I will now be located on wattpad as Cee_Love(or Ciera L.) On there, I will be posting my new works which includes the real version of A Different Life, another rewrite of The Black Wings (title changed to Heiress of Hell), and the continuation of this story. It will be a while before I physically post anything because college has been kicking my butt, but I am still silently working behind the scenes to get these stories done. Hopefully one day you all will see one of my novels on a shelf in a bookstore and know you were the ones who gave me my start. Thank you all for reading my works and interacting with me over the years. I will miss all of you dearly! :')**


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